Confessions
by Morning Dew
Summary: FINISHED! Set in present times, When Nikki first met Merryll Conlon and his unruly band of misfits, she knew she had found her best friends. But will their friendships endure high school popularity, family issues, and jealousy?
1. The Reunion

DISCLAIMER: No, my dears, the newsies in this story don't belong to me unfortunately. I mean, c'mon now, I'd be doing better things with them if they did. *snickers* Anywho, Nicollet belongs to me if you really care that much. So here's my disclaimer, please don't sue me. Taco Bell and Chik-fil- a are not mine either, and neither is Wendy's. Enjoy the show.  
  
A.N.: Present day and no accents. My first of this kind. Hope ya like! OoOgles, this story is dedicated to my old time TV neighbor, Mr. Rogers, who passed away Tuesday night at the age of 74. Rest in Peace, buddy boy, and enjoy the bigger neighborhood above!  
  
*Confessions*  
  
Nicollet had first met Merryll Conlon and his unruly band of juvenile misfits in sixth grade, the year in which homework was a fabled creature of high school tales and peer pressure meant whether you would dare accept your desk mate's challenge of chewing gum in class or not. They weren't the most popular amongst the masses and perhaps that's why they fit together so well, misshapen pieces of a jigsaw puzzle that had not united until now. The girl had to admit that when she first saw Merryll, Jack, Anthony, and the rest for the first time those long years ago, the first word that came to mind was immaturity. But clad in dirtied jeans and a football jersey two times her size, she wasn't exactly what her mother deemed a well brought up lady and she knew the boys would be perfect for her.  
  
By seventh and eighth grade, Nicollet's crew reached a membership number of eight youths, so that weekend gatherings and study groups turned into all out parties catered by Taco Bell or Wendy's. Herself included, the gang was not only made up of Jack and Anthony (having adopted the name Race because of his track records) from sixth grade, but now also recognized new additions like Marcio Myers (renamed Mush because he was much too shy around girls) Eric Fields (called Blink because of a weird obsession of his with wearing an eye patch) Shaun Hutton (rightfully nicknamed Snitch because of his leisurely hobby of pick pocketing) Ray Fedder (his alias was Specs because he wore a pair) and last but certainly not least-especially not in Nicollet's book of friends-none other than Merryll Conlon himself.  
  
Merryll's nickname was a story all in itself. A few summers ago, he and Nicollet had found a malnutritioned, filthy Dalmatian puppy in the abandoned shed of a backyard. Consumed with the utmost pity, they took the dog back to Nicollet's house where they provided it with a cushion to sleep, cool water, and bits of hot dogs. After nursing the animal back to health, the best friends were enthralled by their success and conducted a list of possible names to give the Dalmatian. Nicollet's favorite was Spot and since it was her house in which the dog was residing, she got her way.  
  
But tragedy struck six weeks later when a drunk driver sped down the streets of Nicollet's neighborhood during the hours when the girl walked her dog. Spot suddenly leapt forward in an effort to chase after a grasshopper, yanking his leash out of the girl's hands. Nicollet screamed out the dog's name over and over when the dread of the oncoming truck pierced her heart, and waving her hands wildly, she tried flagging down the driver. However, when the sound of a thump and yelp sounded in the air, the tears were already flowing down her face.  
  
Her mother was kind enough to allow the youths to hold a burial service in a far corner of their backyard for the Dalmatian. Nicollet wept the whole time. "The worse thing about it," she later told Merryll, "is that I always wanted to have a pet named Spot. A friend that would always be there for me, you know?"  
  
The boy gave her a sympathetic look, his green-blue eyes almost sorrowful. "I'm sorry, Nikki. But hey, you know what? I'll always be here for you. No matter what. If it makes you feel better, why don't you just call me Spot?"  
  
The girl had laughed at first, but eventually she took his suggestion to heart, much to his misfortune, and soon thereafter Merryll was known to his closest comrades as Spot Conlon.  
  
In ninth grade, Spot was an instant heartthrob as far as the high school female population was concerned. Everything about him was simply awe- inspiring, as if he were some celestial being from the heavens that had descended to their world to walk amongst mortals. The way that he walked, such suave urbanity. His eyes always beheld a sparkle that sent the heart aflutter. And that smirk, what concealed mischief! Jack also delved into popularity alongside his friend, though he sought solitude most the time. Or would have preferred solitude. The crowds of girls that would surround the tall handsome youth were outstanding. They would melt at his grins and stare for what seemed ever into the specks of grey stardust that were his eyes.  
  
Nicollet had no such luck at winning over the opposite sex; she had no desire to. Still a rebellious tomboy at fourteen years old, relationships didn't interest her. When Spot and Jack were out rendezvousing with dates, she would seek the company of Specs, Mush or Race-the ones who still devoted the better part of their time to either sports or studies.  
  
Tenth grade came and went, a piece of music that started as a calm whisper but one that crescendoed into a clamorous bellow of jealousy and anger. It had all started when Race approached Nicollet during school one day with unfamiliar intentions.  
  
"Uh, heya Nikki," he greeted her, holding a Geometry book under one arm and a book bag in the other. "How's it rollin'?"  
  
She smiled. "Race! It's going pretty good, you?"  
  
"Actually, I wanted to ask you a favor." He shifted his weight from one foot to the other in hesitation and tried to avoid her questioning look. "Ya see, there's this girl in my class. Anna Rodriguez. I have a date with her tonight and I have this feeling she's going to want to kiss me."  
  
"Are you serious?" Nicollet closed her locker door and let out a hearty laugh. "You have a date? Oh my god, is this your first?"  
  
Race rolled his eyes. "Listen, I wanted to ask you a favor. I don't want her to think that I'm inexperienced in any way, and since you're the only girl I trust with this..." Nicollet arched an eyebrow, waiting for him to continue. "Well, I wanted to know if you could teach me how to kiss."  
  
"What?!" The girl was speechless after that one-worded question left her mouth. It was at that moment that she realized that she was losing her best friends to relationships-the one thing she appalled with all her being. When the bus brought her home that afternoon, she ran to straight to her house and didn't stop until she was locked within the confines of her mother's room. Seizing a clothing magazine from a vanity drawer, she skimmed the pages and made herself aware of the styles she was lacking. Still wearing clothing made in the early nineties, she suddenly felt a bit out of place.  
  
So snatching her debit card from the top bookshelf where she kept it, she rushed to the mall and spent her entire three years savings on a new wardrobe, complete with countless outfits, shoes, and accessories. Her hair was another matter, a tangled mass of brown waves that almost made her look inhuman. For the first time in her life, she dared blow-dry it, and rather liked the results. Snipping away a few strands to give her side-swept bangs, she felt she was at last ready to win back her guys.  
  
The next morning, with hip-hugging jeans sporting a silver chain belt and a red peasant blouse that adorned her like jewelry on a goddess, Nicollet had the looks and spirit of one who meant business. One could hardly recognize her as the female prankster who usually wore sweatpants and shirts that advertised music bands from the 60's. The girl was a bit taken aback by the attention, but reveled in the look Spot was throwing at her as she closed the distance between them in seconds.  
  
"Nikki..." His eyes wandered her body up and down, taking in everything with what seemed delight. The girl had some curves, that was for sure.  
  
"Yes, Merryll?" She emphasized his name with disdain and glared at him.  
  
"You mad at me or something?"  
  
"Aren't you a quick one," she replied sarcastically. "Listen, we're holding a meeting at my house, 3 p.m. sharp. You coming?"  
  
Still trying to decipher whether her new image was only an illusion, he looked at her confused. "We haven't had one of those meetings in months. Why start now?"  
  
"Because a few years ago, a boy named Merryll told me he would always be here for me, and it seems like nowadays he's abandoning that promise."  
  
"Count me in," Spot replied with a smirk.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Snitch examined the glass structure of an angel situated right at the center of Nicollet's living room table and fought with the desire to shove it down the pocket of his oversized sweater. It was so beautiful, and he did need something for his aunt's birthday. He watched how the rays of light from above hit the structure and radiated off the glass as rainbows. Just as his hand reached forward to seize the object, Race and Mush entered the room.  
  
"Snitch!" Race exclaimed. "I haven't seen you since eighth grade! I thought you had gone to juvenile detention for grand theft or something!" The boys laughed and spit shook with each other, a tradition that had first started when Spot and Nicollet became spit-siblings, mostly because they were too scared of pricking themselves with a sewing needle.  
  
The young thief looked at Mush. "Heya Myers, still afraid of the girls?" Mush only blushed, for the answer was yes; he still was extremely shy.  
  
"Make yourselves comfortable!" Nicollet called from the kitchen, soon appearing to the three boys when she brought out a bowl of potato chips and a six pack of soda. "There's more to come!" In the middle of her announcement, the doorbell rang and she left to answer it. She squealed with delight when she swung open the door and saw Blink standing before her.  
  
"Blink!" Throwing her arms around his neck, they stood in a tight hug and then pulled apart. "You're not wearing your eye patch anymore!"  
  
He frowned. "Mrs. Miller wouldn't let me wear it in class. She finally found it in my locker today and burned it. I was so pissed, I felt like slashing her tires."  
  
"You mean Killer Miller! Ugh, I had her for Algebra! I hate her."  
  
"Yea, well that makes two of us," he said, letting himself into the house. "So are the others here?" He stepped into the living room and grinned at the ones he saw. "Heya fellas, what's new?"  
  
Nicollet smiled, her insides swelling with warmness at having finally reunited her friends after so many divisions and differences. "I'm going to check on the cookies I'm baking." She left again to the kitchen and looked all about for her kitchen mitt so that she might pull the cookie sheet from the oven. When she turned around to try another location, two emerald eyes met hers and she would have screamed had not a hand clapped over her mouth.  
  
"Jeez, Nikki. Ya never struck me as the terrified girly type." Spot stepped back from her and smiled. "So, what does my little kid sister have to say for herself?"  
  
"Oh, don't call me that. We're the same age, and for the past months you've treated me like anything but a sister. You don't even cast me a glance when I pass you by in the halls; you're too busy flirting with one of your many girlfriends to notice me anymore."  
  
He shook his head at the exaggerations. "People change, you should know that. For example, what's up with the sudden change in wardrobe?"  
  
Nicollet ignored the question when she found her kitchen mitt and set to saving her chocolate chip cookies from the scorching inferno of her oven. In doing so, she was reminded of the times in which Spot would everyday sneak into her house through the backdoor-probably as he had done this day- to spend a day of adventures and snacks with the girl. The doorbell rang yet again. "Could you get that for me?"  
  
"Sure," he agreed. It was Jack and Specs; the last two guests had arrived.  
  
The eight comrades reminisced as they lounged on the couches and consumed the foods Nicollet had prepared with vivacious hunger.  
  
"Race, you still on the track team?"  
  
"Still riding those horses at the stable, Jack?"  
  
"How many girls ya got now, Spot?"  
  
Only a collection of the many questions that were asked that afternoon. Nicollet sighed in content. This was how things were suppose to be; the eight of them reclined around her living room listening to their favorite songs and chatting like the childhood friends they were. "Everyone, I have something to say!" She stood to her feet atop the center table and smiled. "I can't remember the last time we met together and did something like this. We use to have so much fun when we were younger, what happened? Why did we drift apart?"  
  
"Our personalities changed," Jack called out. "We're not the same people we were in sixth grade. It's not as easy as it was back then. There's different things we gotta deal with now."  
  
"Yea," Mush agreed, his voice nearly inaudible. "Take me for example. How am I supposed to hang out with someone like Spot? I'm kinda shy and he...well, he's not. He's like, the most popular guy in school!"  
  
Nicollet shook her head. "That's ridiculous! Back in middle school, we pledged allegiance to each other. We stood up for each other no matter what, even if it meant going against what the popular kids thought was cool. I don't understand why our priorities have to change just because we're in a bigger crowd now!"  
  
Spot couldn't help but smile at her speech. True she may have changed on the outside, may have grown up some, but that exuberant aura that always lingered about her was still intact. She was still that friendly, outgoing, and somewhat crazy eleven year old girl he had met years ago, and he had to admire that.  
  
"I agree with Nikki," he said, rising from the couch. "We made the rowdiest gang when we were kids, and there's no reason why we shouldn't hang out anymore. I say we make a pact, right now, to stay together through thick and thin."  
  
Blink and Race looked at each other, shrugged, and then joined Spot at the table. They were followed by Jack, Specs, Mush, and a hesitant Snitch who still couldn't quite keep his eyes off that glass structure.  
  
Spot held his hand out. "To the Brigade! May nothing tear us apart ever again!" Nicollet placed her hand atop his and the others followed her suit.  
  
* * * * *  
  
By eleventh grade, the ragtag assembly of friends was closer than ever. But while each member had rooted themselves in a particular genre of individuality and such, Nicollet had yet to find herself. During the past summer, at a retreat Spot had dragged her to, a girl name Lila had introduced her to punk music and Nicollet found that she enjoyed the rocking melodies more than anything. Having adopted the tunes for her everyday listening enjoyment, she was now into punk clothing. Baggy plaid pants with black straps hanging down the sides, silver-beaded belts, and interwoven bracelet bands were the items of only one of her many new outfits.  
  
Jack once told her she resembled Avril Lavigne, though with a larger dose of femininity, for Nicollet rarely portrayed her tomboy side these days. As a matter of fact, she was rather flirtatious, more so with her closest companions-especially Spot and Race. She always spoke her mind when given the chance and she wasn't afraid to put someone in their place if she felt their heads were too high in the clouds.  
  
"So what are we doing this weekend?" Blink asked once everyone had gathered at Nicollet's locker. "Wanna go see a movie or something?"  
  
The girl combed her fingers through her hair as she gazed at her reflection through her locker mirror. "Mmm, not really. How 'bout we go to the fair?"  
  
"Can we not?" Mush asked softly. "Those rides make me sick enough to throw up." Nicollet laughed and pinched his cheeks as if he were her little brother.  
  
Blink groaned. "Listen, I'm going to miss my bus. Someone come up with something already."  
  
"Calm down, Blinkie," said Spot. "Let's just hang out at the mall tomorrow night. I needed to buy a few CD's anyways and our dear friend Specs can treat us to a few drinks at Chik-fil-a."  
  
Specs immediately objected. "Go to the mall all you want, but I'm not letting Snitch 'casually take' any more drinks from off the front counter. My manager almost caught me last time! Do you realize I can get fired?"  
  
"Ya telling me I gotta actually pay for a drink now? Jeez, what kinda friend are you?"  
  
Blink glanced at his watch and opened his mouth to say something but Nicollet cut him off. "All right, so tomorrow night, mall. Bring money if you think you'll get thirsty. Settled?"  
  
The other seven nodded in agreement.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Nicollet was the last to arrive at her friends' meeting place in the mall, a bench snuggled between two imitation trees at the food court, and so when she saw the seating occupied she simply plopped down onto Blink's lap and smiled at the others. "Anyone up for ice cream?"  
  
"Hey, check this out." Jack handed her a small magazine with cartoon characters on its cover. The girl began reading it until she realized the language, a collaboration of symbols and lines, was foreign to her. She gave the boy a puzzling look. "It's an anime comic book. We found it in the trashcan over there."  
  
"And who was the brave soul that actually took it out of the trashcan?" They all looked at Snitch, but the accused was too busy scanning the mall for potential victims to notice. Nicollet nodded. "Of course."  
  
"Merryll!" The group of friends looked up to see two brunettes approaching Spot with huge smiles plastered on their faces. Spot was instantly was on his feet and embraced the girls as if he hadn't seen them in ages. "Merryll, we didn't know you were going to be here! We would've worn something prettier."  
  
Nicollet shared a disgusted look with Jack before bursting out in an explosion of laughter. The girls looked at the two seemingly offended but Spot assured them there was nothing to take offense of. As he continued talking with them, Nicollet proceeded to have her fun.  
  
She grabbed Jack's face in her hands and sighed. "Oh Merryll, you're the sexiest beast alive. Please take me home with you and keep me up all night!" Spot shot her a death glare but she didn't see it because now she had jumped off the bench and was running her hands down Race's chest. "Oh Merryll, I just wanna rip these clothes off you right now!" The boys laughed hysterically as Nicollet went on with the impressions. The fun stopped when Spot ripped her from a hug with Blink and held her inches from his face.  
  
"What the hell d'ya think you're doing?"  
  
She wiped invisible droplets of spit from her face and glared back at him. "Gimme a break, Spot. Don't tell me you can't see right past those girls. They're fakes! They only want you now because you're popular, but once you fall down the ranks, they'll just go for another guy."  
  
"Nikki, even if that was true, which it isn't, that doesn't give you the right to parade right in front of them and make them look like idiots. For your information, I plan on taking neither of them to bed!" He smirked and winked at her. "At least not yet."  
  
Before she could slap him, he was off to see to the pair of girls who giggled when he returned to them and fluttered their eyelashes as if the speed of doing so would somehow magically win him over.  
  
"Damn bastard," Nicollet muttered under her breath. She walked back to the others with an obvious pout. "It's starting already! Yay for him that he's all popular and crap but he was here with us first! If they want to hang with him, they need to schedule a date!"  
  
Jack draped an arm over her shoulders. "Sounds like someone's awfully jealous to me."  
  
She shoved him away. "Jealous?! Yeah right! You better take that back, buddy boy, 'cause I'm about fixing to give you a nice shiner!" She balled up her fists playfully and held them before her face. The taller boy, who was gifted with a height exactly one foot over her, lunged forward to grab her but she jumped out of the way and instead he fell to the floor. Doubling over in laughter, she tackled him down and wrestled him right there in the middle of the food court until an employee shooed them away.  
  
"I'm surprised we haven't gotten kicked out of this mall by now," Mush remarked to Race with an amused smile. "As much schemes as Nikki devises to deem us the craziest delinquents ever born, they never ban us."  
  
Race patted his friend's back. "It's 'cause we have charisma. Who's going to put out someone with a smile like this, huh?" He flashed his most dashing grin yet.  
  
Mush blinked. "I would." He dashed off after Nicollet and the others, Race closely following behind, yelling threats to his friend.  
  
* * * * *  
  
The next day, Spot was studying over his history notes in his bedroom when his mother tapped on his door ever so lightly and announced that he had a visitor. "Send them in," the boy replied and a few minutes later, the door creaked open and in walked Nicollet with a small smile.  
  
Spot raised his eyebrows at her choice of clothing, pajama pants and a tank top. Had he told the girl he was hosting a sleepover? "What's up, Nikki?"  
  
"My parents are arguing again," she groaned. "They yell so much it makes the walls shake, I swear! And the things that they say to each other...it's so awful, ya know? They were talking about separating. I seriously think they're considering divorce." She collapsed onto his bed and sighed. "It really sucks."  
  
"They're just venting, I'm sure it'll be fine." He rose from his chair and sat on the edge of the bed. "Parents are always arguing. You'd think that after being married for some odd number of years, you'd have something to argue about."  
  
She clasped her hands behind her head, thinking of all the times that Spot had comforted her during similar occasions. She could always run to Jack or Race and sometimes even Snitch because he was easy to talk to, but most of the time, she found herself heading to the Conlon residence. It was like a second home to her. "Do you mind if I sleep over tonight?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"Sleep over. They're yelling so loud, Spot. You have no idea. It scares me, and if I hear another word..." she wouldn't say she'd cried. Growing up with seven boys as her best friends, it was nearly illegal for her to do such a thing! Besides, they didn't know her as the emotional type, the type in touch with her feelings. She was a ruffian, hardcore and rough around the edges. "...I think I might start punching holes into the walls if I hear any more!"  
  
Spot laughed at the memory. When he had broken up wit his first girlfriend, Nicollet was the first person he called, and while on the phone with her he proceeded to punch his room walls until his knuckles bled. He could be quite temperamental at times, and it wasn't wise to provoke his wrath. "Sure, stay as long as ya want."  
  
She climbed to her knees and hugged him in thanks. "Only for one night, I promise. My mom already knows I'm here and I told her I'd come back tomorrow."  
  
"Okay. So I'll let you get some rest while I study downstairs. Make yourself comfortable, I probably won't join you 'til you're already asleep." He said his goodnights, turned off the light for her, and gently closed the door behind him.  
  
In the dark, Nicollet climbed under the comforter of Spot's bed and snuggled in as if it were her own habitat. It wasn't the first time she had slept over, and it certainly wouldn't be the last, because for some reason simply being in his room made her feel protected.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Review if you want More. ^_^ Love Ya! 


	2. Eight's Enough

DISCLAIMER: No, my dears, the newsies in this story don't belong to me unfortunately. I mean, c'mon now, I'd be doing better things with them if they did. *snickers* Anywho, Nicollet belongs to me if you really care that much. So here's my disclaimer, please don't sue me. Taco Bell and Chik-fil- a are not mine either, and neither is Wendy's. Quite frankly, none of the food chains mentioned in this story belong to me. Enjoy the show.  
  
A.N.: Thank You Thank You Thank You Thank You Thank You for all the Reviews! Keep them rolling in please!  
  
*Confessions*  
  
Mush watched Nicollet as the girl gazed at her locker mirror's reflection and applied gloss to her lips. She wore her dark hair loose, making her look younger than the sixteen years she was for her freckles stood out more for some reason and her brown eyes seemed to glow with a youthful fervor. As she adjusted her bangs in a precise manner over her left eyebrow, she noticed the boy then and smiled. "Mush, what's up?"  
  
"Nothing much," he said, walking up to her and sighing when he rested his back against the lockers. There was only an eight minute passing time between classes so he would have to be quick with his words. "Nikki, there's this girl in my class that I like. She sits a few seats away from me; she's really cute and so every time I get the chance to talk to her, my mind just shuts down and stops working. I really like her though..." Embarrassed by having openly admitted his feelings, he looked away. "I was wondering if you could maybe talk to her and tell her for me?"  
  
Nicollet smiled at his coyness. The day Mush actually spoke to a girl for himself would be a miraculous one. "Sure, what do you want me to tell her?"  
  
But the boy wasn't listening. His eyes widened with both panic and excitement and he swiftly spun around so that he was facing his friend. "There she is, there she is!"  
  
"There's twenty different girls walking down the hallway! Which one?" She looked past him and waited for a description.  
  
"She's wearing a black shirt and jeans," he said, lowering his voice, trying to remain as casual as possible and doing a horrible job at it.  
  
"The blonde one?"  
  
Mush threw her a confused look and then glanced back to see why it was so hard to detect the girl he had just seen moments before. He immediately regretted it. "Oh god, I just made eye contact with her!"  
  
"You're such a dork!" Nicollet laughed despite Mush's glares at her; it was honestly too funny to see a guy her age freak out so much about the girl he wanted to date. Being acquainted with Spot for so long had her thinking that guys wore ice cold demeanors and never expressed their emotions to anyone, not even each other! Yet here was Mush disproving that false claim as he begged her with his eyes to not make him look like a fool.  
  
"She's wearing a ponytail, the one walking next to the girl in the yellow shirt..."  
  
"Oh, her?" She nodded her approval; the girl was Natasha Halls. She had been in one of Nicollet's classes last year and proved to have a genuine sweet personality. "Heya Natasha," she called out with a wave. "My friend Marcio here wants a date with you."  
  
Natasha glanced at Mush as she passed by and blushed at the compliment, especially when the girls around her erupted into giggles and started cooing. When they were well out of earshot, Mush gave Nicollet an incredulous look. "Are you insane?! I can't believe you just did that! I was kinda thinking you'd talk to her in private or something or hand her a note, but yelling it across the hallway?! God, I so wanna kill you right now!"  
  
"No you don't. Ya know you love me." She laughed as he went on in disbelief. He was complaining now, but she knew that as soon as he went home, he'd be daydreaming over Natasha's expression, anxiously waiting to be embarrassed all over again. "Walk me to Spanish?" He agreed and they started off down the halls in silence, Nicollet going over a list of vocabulary words she needed to memorize by the time she entered her classroom and Mush lost in a daze of love.  
  
"Yo Aaron," a husky voice said from behind. "Check out who it is. Ol' Nickels and Marky-Mark. Aint you two s'pose to be in class by now? Ya aint skippin', are ya?"  
  
"Nah," another replied. "Them two goody-goodies aint the skippin' types. You should know Marcio's practically a mama's boy."  
  
Nicollet looked back and wasn't surprised to see Bennie Smith and Aaron Ortiz sauntering towards her and Mush with devilish grins on their faces and the want to wreak havoc present in their eyes. She hated them more than she could ever measure. They were creeps, potential high school dropouts who did nothing more than wander around campus and smoke in the bathrooms or set off stink bombs in the cafeteria. They had violated every rule in the code of conduct at least once and had even served a short term at juvenile detention over the summer.  
  
Spot had gotten into a fight with them twice before, for whereas their reputations were badass ones that sought trouble from afar, his was a temperamental one that exploded whenever inflamed. Back in freshman year, he nearly beat Bennie to a bloody pulp upon learning that the jerk had spread rumors about Nicollet and him sleeping together. Both boys were suspended, but it didn't matter to Spot. He felt as if his vengeance had been completed and the consequences weren't an issue. The second incident was between him and Aaron, the latter infuriated when he discovered his girlfriend had dumped him for Spot. Another brawl broke out that day after school, leading to Spot's second suspension-though he served it with pride, like a true victor.  
  
Mush looked worried but followed Nicollet's lead by simply ignoring the boys and continuing to walk.  
  
"Hey, don't turn your backs on us! What are ya, deaf? Turn around!"  
  
Nicollet regarded them with feigned apology. "Oh I'm sorry! Were you two saying something?!"  
  
"Yea, we..."  
  
"Oh that's right," she snapped. "I wasn't listening to your ugly faces!" They could only stand there shocked by the words, not sure how to come up with an argument. It was usually Merryll who protected the girl; they never knew she was capable of defending herself.  
  
"Is there a problem here?" a new voice asked. It was Jack and seeing how he was a great deal taller than them, Aaron and Bennie backed off. "I didn't think so. I mean, you two wouldn't intentionally be tryin' to make my friends' lives miserable, would ya?"  
  
Nicollet grinned. "It's okay, Jack. They can't help being jackasses. It's in their nature." The pair of bullies glared at her but retreated down an empty hall nonetheless in defeat. "Well, that was interesting, huh?"  
  
"Yup." And as soon as Jack started forward for class, the tardy bell rang. "I don't think I'll ever be on time for Calculus," he sighed, bidding them farewell and jogging away to at least not be drastically late.  
  
* * * * *  
  
The cafeteria couldn't have been any more packed with hungry teenagers that afternoon. Snitch and Blink were thankful beyond words that their crew had decided earlier this year to eat lunch outside at one of the countless black steel picnic tables throughout the campus. With slices of pizza in one hand and bottles of Mountain Dew or Coke in the other, the two friends located their table and took a seat before the benches-which only held three youths each-were taken. Spot was already sitting across from them with a redhead named Kelly on his lap, Specs beside them reading "A Tale of Two Cities".  
  
Blink turned his slice of pizza around and bit down on its soft crust, a habit of his to do things backwards. He remembered when Pizza Hut promoted eating the crust first, but it seemed as if all the hype had been lost over the following years. He took a sip from his Mountain Dew and nudged Snitch. "Here comes trouble," he said under his breath. Nicollet was approaching the table in high spirits, a deck of cards in her hands ready to be dealt for their daily games of poker. "How much ya wanna bet she's going to be a little hell raiser today?"  
  
Snitch rolled his eyes. "She's a hell raiser everyday, Blink." They shared a short laugh and then watched curiously as the girl drew closer. She stopped short all of a sudden, her smile dropping when she saw Spot and his current play toy, a giggling airhead whom she did not know but whom she immediately disliked. She stuffed the playing cards back into her messenger bag and crossed her arms to continue her walk up to Spot.  
  
"Oh hey, Nikki," Spot said, not in any way ashamed for he felt he had no reason to be. Of all people, his best friend should know that he was a flirt. Why was she making such a big deal now?  
  
"Hey," she mumbled back.  
  
"This is Kelly; she's going to be eating lunch with us today. I was just telling her about you, and how ya gave us all nicknames, except for Jack and yourself. She says she wants a nickname too. Can ya think of one?"  
  
Nicollet could think of a number of names, none of which she thought Spot or the girl would like to hear. Instead she spoke directly to Kelly. "Only the people in our lil' group here get to have nicknames. Sorry."  
  
Kelly pouted. "Aww, can't I be in the group? Please? I promise ya'll would love me. I get along with everyone and I could even back cookies whenever ya hold the meetings and all."  
  
"Of course you can join," Spot said after he planted a kiss on her cheek. She pinched his cheeks in adoration and giggled about how cute he was.  
  
"No, you can't," Nicollet said in a sterner voice. What was Spot thinking? They had settled on the fact that eight was enough company months ago! The honor of being inducted into their cliché now was strictly reserved for only those who had wild enough personality, something special. But Kelly? She was a typical clueless broad! "I decide who joins and who doesn't and you're definitely NOT joining."  
  
Blink and Snitch watched on with the utmost interest, even Specs had put down his book for a minute to see about the problem. Spot gave her a cool look, though she knew a storm was building up within him. "You're not always going to be the one to choose who gets to join, Nikki."  
  
"Then we'll vote on it," she nearly yelled back.  
  
Spot gently scooted Kelly onto the bench beside him and then stood to his feet. "Who the hell d'ya think you are?!" He pushed her back a foot so that the argument was solely between them.  
  
"I hate it when you bring one of your girls to our table! It's OUR table!" She had to crane her neck to stare him right in the eyes and was aware that she might've not looked as intimidating as she had intended. "Why d'ya do that? It's so annoying! You always bring these girls who act all ditsy around you just to get your attention. I'm sure the others don't like it either!"  
  
"Cut the bullshit, Nikki." He let a mischievous smirk break onto his face. "Did ya wanna sit on my lap today? Is that what it is?"  
  
"You're so full of yourself!" She shoved him away and stormed off to eat her packed lunch elsewhere.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Mrs. Meahl always gave the students of her sixth class twenty minutes of free time at the end of her lectures since it was the last period of the day and she knew the youths were always anxious for the dismissal bell to ring. Nicollet was fortunate enough to share this class, Biology, with Jack, Race, and Spot. The four would always pull their chairs up to a round table to either talk, help each other finish up the class work, or play a few games of cards. However, the quartet was incomplete today since Spot was more concerned with letting three girls play with his hair, leaving Jack and Race to comfort a very agitated Nicollet.  
  
"Why doesn't he just play with his own hair," she complained as she stared one of the girls down. "They treat him like he's a gift to mankind." She shuffled her hand of cards over and over again.  
  
Race shrugged. "If ya hate it so much, why don't you just walk over there, tell them all off, and then drag Spot to a corner where you can make out with him?"  
  
She looked at him, disgusted. "What the hell!? What makes ya think I wanna make out with him?!" She smacked him upside the head. "I was just saying, it annoys me that he spends so much time with them. Jeez, remind me never to complain in front of you again!" She continued shuffling the cards, the glare never leaving her eyes. "I'm not jealous."  
  
"Uh-huh, sure," Jack dared say.  
  
"Now it's you too, Jack? Where do you guys get off saying I'm jealous? A girl can't be mad that one of her best guy friends is abandoning her for a bunch of sluts?" The word was probably a bit too scathing, but she could care less. It probably held true for the most of them.  
  
Race snatched the cards from her and slammed them on the table to receive her full attention. "We're not saying you like him...well, at least that aint what Jack was implying. But it's possible for best friends to get jealous, it don't mean you're in love with him or anything."  
  
She thought about that. Maybe she was jealous. She would never admit it to them, but she could take a step by acknowledging it to herself. "As long as you don't think I like him, 'cause I don't. For crying out loud, it's friggin Merryll we're talking about! The same kid who stuck gum into my hair in seventh grade!" She let them laugh at the recollection of that event. Spot use to tease her so bad she would pitch a tantrum and wrestle him in the sandbox of the neighborhood playground on certain occasions. When he had squished pink bubblegum onto her scalp one day after school, she fought with him until they were both breathless and weak in the arms. She had needed to get a haircut afterwards; her mother wasn't too pleased.  
  
"Well that same kid who put gum in ya hair," Race whispered to her, "is making his way over here."  
  
She froze for half a second but looked up just in time to see Spot coming to them, his hair a ruffled mess but the smile on his face an obvious sign of his content. Nicollet grabbed her deck of cards and divided them into three piles, each of which she placed before herself, Race, and Jack. "If you wanna play poker, you're too late. We already started a game."  
  
Spot arched an eyebrow. "Oh, is that why ya each have eighteen cards?"  
  
"Uhm..." she mentally reprimanded herself for the mistake. She had meant to say they were playing BS. "Ugh, you're such a smartass, ya know that?"  
  
"Thanks, sweetheart." For lack of any empty chairs, he kneeled at the table, resting his elbows on its wood surface. "Heya, Jacky-boy. Guess who just asked me to Junior prom. Amanda. I didn't want to say yes before checking with you 'cause I know you were involved with her last year."  
  
Jack nodded. "Amanda Riley? Yea, I broke it off with her 'cause she needed too much attention, ya know, making out in the halls and frenching her in class; all that lovey dovey crap. You'd actually be good for her, Conlon. Hell, if it was up to you, she'd be screwing ya on top of a table during lunch!"  
  
Nicollet rolled her eyes as the boys laughed. She was use to their vulgarity by now, had even grown accustomed to it. They'd even gotten her to the point where she could be perverted if she wanted; she usually chose not to be though.  
  
"So, it's all good with you then?"  
  
"Of course," Jack said. "Me and her are just friends now anyways."  
  
Spot smirked. "Great, lemme go tell her she can start shopping for a dress that'll be easy for me to take off." He rose to his feet but Nicollet leaned forward and yanked him back.  
  
"You said you'd go to prom with me," she said. "Remember, we all said we'd go together?"  
  
"Nikki, that was in August, before we knew we'd have dates. And besides, didn't you say something the other day about how much you hated school dances? I'm not going to drag you over there if you're going to be moping the whole time. And I'm not the only guy you can go with. Jack aint got no date, far as I know, and I doubt Mush does."  
  
"You're such a bastard." He thanked her and then walked off to tell Amanda he'd go with her to Prom. She threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tight, arousing admiration but also jealousy throughout the class.  
  
Nicollet only stared at them. "I hate him so much!"  
  
Race tried to keep from snickering but when he caught Jack's look, the two shared a knowing look. The girl either was insanely jealous of Amanda stealing Spot's friendship from her, or had it bad for her long time best friend.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Review if you want more. 


	3. Coverups

DISCLAIMER: No, my dears, the newsies in this story don't belong to me unfortunately. I mean, c'mon now, I'd be doing better things with them if they did. *snickers* Anywho, Nicollet belongs to me if you really care that much. So here's my disclaimer, please don't sue me. Taco Bell and Chik-fil- a are not mine either, and neither is Wendy's. Quite frankly, none of the food chains mentioned in this story belong to me. Enjoy the show.  
  
A.N.: A Great Big Thanks to: Angel, Hella Good, Ember, FatBottomGirl, bl33ding p03t, DarkSilentWhispers, Ice Renegade, Seraph, TechnicolorDreamgirl, bittersweet, kew, Trek, Apollonia, newsietomboy!!! You goils rock my socks! Thanks soooo MUCH for reviewing!!! Sorry this update took a while but I had other things to tend to. Ya know how it is, lol. Well, enjoy Chapter 3!  
  
*Confessions*  
  
That year's prom was held in the school's gymnasium despite the student body's countless protests claiming it was an injustice to the seniors who had been waiting all year long to celebrate the most important formal dance of their lives as teenagers in a place that didn't stink of basketball rubber and polished hardwood floors. Needless to say, ticket sales weren't at their highest this time around. Nicollet pitied the soon to be graduates, but she was only a junior so it didn't have as great an affect on her. Besides, she wouldn't have even gone to prom had Race not asked her.  
  
The two decided to go as the best friends that they were, both pledging to not overdo the expenses no matter what. Race simply borrowed a tuxedo from one of his older brothers and Nicollet ended up wearing a halter top red dress she had worn for last year's homecoming. As far as hair went, the girl wouldn't have either bothered combing her chocolate- colored strands if it weren't for the incessant whining of her mother who urged Nicollet that she would later regret not making the best of her junior prom. She wasn't too sure about that, but in the end, her mother won the dispute and she had agreed to have her hair done in some expensive, over-elaborate French twist that made her look as if she had suddenly come into money.  
  
Race was gentleman enough to buy her a corsage, though Nicollet demanded that he do no such thing, and this only caused the girl's mother to coo and ogle at the couple as she took at least seven snapshots of them at her doorstep, encircled in one another's arms with the most miserable looks on their faces.  
  
At last, they were bid farewell from the parental unit and left to their own devices. They arrived at the school around half past eight; a fashionably late coming. Upon entering the gymnasium they were taken aback at how gorgeous it looked, nothing like the courts and bleachers they were use to seeing on a day to day basis. Everything was so...beautiful. The theme was 'Enchanted Garden' and Nicollet couldn't deny the fact that she actually felt entrapped in the mysterious forests of some magical land. A dark green carpet spread across the floor like a bed of grass and from the ceiling hung sparkling vines, tree branches, and flowers of every imaginable color-all made of paper of course, but with a specialty that made them come to life. Onto the walls were hung murals of fabled creatures like unicorns and kelpies, castles, princesses and their knights. It was remarkable.  
  
"Heya, there's Jacky-boy. Let's go sit with him." Race pointed to their older friend and led the way over to his table, which was clothed with a green velvet fabric upon which sat a centerpiece of three ceramic pixie faeries looking into a bowl of floating candles.  
  
Jack smiled at the two. "Heya Race, Nikki. You two had me thinking you weren't coming. The dance started over an hour ago!"  
  
"You wanted me to come on time?" Nicollet gnarled her face as if he were asking a miracle from her. "And what, barf at all the lovey-dovey couples making out on the dance floor? Nah, I think I'll pass." They laughed at her joke and watched the night unfold.  
  
"You guys won't believe this, but just a few minutes ago, I saw Specs getting his groove on with some chick."  
  
Nicollet's eyes widened. "Specs has a girl!?" She buried her face in her arms in an effort to quiet her hysterical laughter.  
  
Race was having a hard time believing the statement as well. "Who is it? How come we didn't know nothing about it? I can't believe this! I knew Specs was a player deep down inside!" He shook his head with a laugh. "Man oh man, you just wait 'til I see him. That bastard!"  
  
The three friends decided their times was better spent merely chatting the hours away, though the guys would occasionally dance with a doll when asked, only if they couldn't lie their way out of it. On like times, they'd rely on Nicollet to start a cat fight of some sort and tell the inquiring girl to back off her man. She'd only look at Race and Jack with an amused expression.  
  
It happened that later in the night, perhaps around ten or so, she was greeted by Mush who shyly approached her as if he were a puppy caught in the act of doing something wrong. "Mushy! I didn't know you were coming to prom."  
  
"I wasn't," he admitted, blush creeping up his face. "But then Natasha Halls asked me if I would go with her." He smiled at her and she gave him a hug in congratulations. "Thanks, Nikki, for hooking us up. Even though it was like, the most embarrassing moment of my life up to date, I still owe it to you."  
  
She rolled her eyes. "Oh please, you don't owe me nothing. That's what friends are for, right?" As he nodded, she couldn't get over the fact that Mush had worked up enough courage to go on a date with the girl of his dreams. It was enough to make her believe in miracles again! "Well, ya better get back to Natasha." He gave her one last hug and then went off on his way.  
  
Nicollet looked after him with a sigh. Deciding she was thirsty, she made a trip to the food table situated between the huge trunks of two paper trees and laughed at what she saw. Blink and Snitch, both dateless, were busying themselves with spiking the fruit punch at the table's center. High school just wasn't the same without a couple of class clowns.  
  
Snitch waved her over. "Nikki, stand in the front and make this easier, huh?"  
  
"No thanks, boys," she laughed as she passed them by and headed back to the table. Race had already returned from his dance with some cheerleading broad and pulled her onto his lap before she could object.  
  
"Looking for Merryll, sweety?" She brought her hand up to lightly smack him on the lips but he caught her fingers before she could make the attack. "I haven't seen him all night, actually. I didn't think he'd pass up a chance to bed Amanda Riley, but it turns out he's a no-show."  
  
Nicollet crossed her arms and glared at him, silently warning him that if he did not shut his mouth, she'd be more than happy to do it for him. "It's more likely that he's screwing her right now," she said bitterly, the words escaping from her lips in a hiss. "Not like I give a damn, though. Let him do whatever the hell he wants."  
  
"Nikki, admit it already. I mean, I've known you for five years now. I know you better than you know yourself. You like him; that's all there is to it. You like him but you're too scared to tell him 'cause you think he won't feel the same way." She shot him a menacing look but he ignored her. "If ya ask me, I think he's got something going for you too. You guys are practically going out already! You sure as hell got the fighting down."  
  
"Well I didn't ask you, did I?" she snapped at him, sliding off his lap to stand to her feet. She snatched her purse from the table top and started off. "I'm leaving, this damn prom reeks." Yet as she hurried to the parking lot while realizing she would have to walk home, she crossed Spot's path. It turned out he was all along seated at a table mere yards away from hers. He waved at her with what seemed desperation and excusing himself from the giggling girls that surrounded him, jogged up to Nicollet and grinned.  
  
"Holy crap, you have no idea how glad I am to see you! Those girls are killing me! I feel like I'm in hell or something!" He laughed and took her hands in his. "I wasn't even with Amanda for one hour before she started annoying me and so I decided I would sit with you and the boys, but I couldn't find either of you anywhere. And then, everywhere I went, the damn girl would follow me! I felt like strangling her!"  
  
Nicollet had to smile. Spot rarely experienced misfortunes, but when he did, they were always humorous ones. Relaxing in his hold, her gaze turned to something past him and with a grin she nodded off to where he had earlier been. "One of your fans is coming this way, and from the looks of it, I think she wants the last dance."  
  
"Shit..." he grumbled as he turned around and greeted Amanda. "Hey sexy, what's up?"  
  
Amanda crossed her arms. "Merryll! The DJ just announced the last dance, couples only! Are you coming or what?"  
  
"Actually, I was saving it for my best friend Nikki here."  
  
Amanda didn't look too pleased. "So what, you're dumping me or something?"  
  
"Pretty much," he shrugged, and without another word, he pulled Nikki onto the dance floor alongside him. The song was a favorite among the masses of teenagers. "Hero" by Enrique Iglesias. The melody was slow enough for a final embrace with one's date, and the words deep enough to keep one thinking about the moment for months to come. "Here we go," he said with a smile as he rested his hands on Nikki's waist.  
  
But the girl pushed him away. "Spot, this is bull. I'm not going to be your little rescue every time you run into a girl you can't deal with. Is that the only reason you wanted the last dance to be with me? So that it wouldn't have to be with Amanda? Screw you!"  
  
"You need to get your facts straight before you start talking shit like that, sweetheart," he threw back at her sarcastically. "For your information, whether I liked that damn girl or not, I was still counting on saving the last dance for you, but since you're obviously in a bitchy mood, forget about it!"  
  
They turned away from each other at the same time and stormed off in opposite directions. Spot heading to the parking lot to drive home early, and Nicollet retreating back to Race, who had seen the whole argument.  
  
"Admit it!" he smiled at her. "You like him. You know you do. Be in denial all you want, but I can already tell. You like Spot!" He threw his head back to laugh.  
  
Nicollet watched him much as she would watch a drunkard dallying about in the streets screaming revelations of the world's end, with disgust. She leaned forward, grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, and pulled him so that there faces were less than an inch apart. "OKAY! I like him. Are you friggin' happy? But a word from the wise, you let this get out in any way and I will hunt you down until you're dead!!"  
  
Race held his hands up in surrender, yet couldn't stifle the laugh that soon after exploded from his mouth.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
"So Merryll, just between us, whad'dya think about Nikki?" Race soaked the front of his shirt with water from the bottle he had brought to the basketball game and then poured the cool liquid into the caverns of his mouth. Every Saturday, he, Spot, Jack, and Blink would head off to the neighborhood courts to shoot a few hoops. Today had been a particular scorching hot day, though, and he suddenly felt the need to submerge himself in some Arctic waters.  
  
Spot looked at him as if he were insane. "What?"  
  
"Ya know, do you...like her?" So he wasn't suppose to say anything, but the delicate matter was just too tempting! And if he could hook the two best friends up, it would be worth a lifetime of good deeds. That way he wouldn't feel half as guilty whenever he gambled. "Like, do you ever think about, oh I don't know, going out with her?"  
  
"Not really." Spot took off the shirt that was plastered to his body like a second skin and debated over whether he should take his white tank top off as well. It wasn't any less sweaty, but he feared getting a sun burn on his long walk back home. He left it on. "Why?"  
  
"Ah, c'mon, Spot! She's good-looking, really fiery. She'd probably be a better match for you then the girls you're use to going out with. On top of that, you guys have known each other for ever and you're already a couple practically! You just gotta make it official."  
  
Jack and Blink joined the two after grabbing some cheeseburgers from a nearby Wendy's and presented the paper bags to their proper owners. Race had no intention of prying an answer out of Spot in front of the others, but his plan backfired when Spot himself began to continue the conversation.  
  
"Do you think we'd be good together, though? Somehow, I don't get those vibes off her that she wants to hook up."  
  
Jack took a bite out of his food and mumbled a "what are you talking about?" before swallowing it down.  
  
"Racey here is telling me I should ask Nikki out," replied Spot. The other three shared a knowing look that he wasn't able to read. Did they know something he didn't? He immediately felt he was at liberty to know! "Heya, what's the deal? Is this some kinda joke?"  
  
Blink draped an arm over his friend's shoulders and grinned. "Are you blind or something? That girl, as much as she won't admit it, is falling harder for you by the day!"  
  
"Actually," piped in Race, "she did admit it to me at Prom!"  
  
"Woo! Way to go, Conlon!" Blink patted him on the back and congratulated the others on their success at the game of matchmaking.  
  
Spot held up his hands to silence them. This was completely unreal. Nicollet, his best friend, the only girl that drove him crazy, the only one he could confide in, that eccentric eleven-year old he had befriended back in sixth grade, wanted more from their relationship? He had to be honest, it was quite a shock. Nikki was the last person he'd expect such a thing from. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. Let's get a few things straight before I make a jackass of myself in front of her. She actually said she wanted to get with me?"  
  
Jack groaned in annoyance. How much more assurance did it take before Spot and Nikki would become a couple? It was taking too much time as it was, time that could be better spent between the couple in 'getting to know each other better'. "Spotty, if you don't get your sorry ass over that girl's house right now and ask her out, I'm going to beat the crap outta you!"  
  
Together with Race and Blink, he grabbed the boy by the arms and proceeded to shove him down the sidewalks to where Nicollet's house stood. "Alright! Alright!" Spot shook himself out of their grasp laughing. "Can't a guy have his lunch before getting a girl?"  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Nicollet still couldn't believe she had argued with Spot like that at Prom. Why did she have to be so difficult, always jumping to conclusions and assuming the boy did everything for his own selfish reasons?  
  
Sitting on the tire swing of her front yard, she pressed her ear against the black rubber in efforts to shut off the screaming coming from within her house. Her parents were at it again, the topic of today's fighting round: someone had misplaced the TV's remote control. She swore, the worse of their arguments evolved from petty matters of the like. Once they had bickered and cursed each other out for hours, eventually forgetting that the reason for their hatred was something as stupid as her father forgetting to clean off his dinner plate before putting it into the sink.  
  
Which is why she wasn't in the mood to argue when she saw Spot coming her way with his hands in his pockets and that lop-sided grin of his adorning his face. She straightened herself up and drew from her subconscious a sense of pride. Hopefully, they'd get past their apologies soon enough so she'd be able to talk with him about more important matters.  
  
"Hey," he greeted her as he closed the distance between them in a few strides. She offered him a small smile and waited for him to continue. He kicked the dirt at his feet and then raised his eyes to meet her own. Motioning towards her house with a nod of his head, he said "did I catch ya at a bad time?"  
  
She bit her bottom lip. "I bet you could hear them from a block away."  
  
"No, only half a block." They laughed and he was glad that he could brighten her moods, even if only for the slightest moment. He grabbed her hand and yanked her from the tire swing so that she nearly slammed into his body from the force.  
  
"Any harder and I would've knocked ya over!" she boasted, shoving him away with a smile. She combed her hair behind her ears and looked at the house before her as the sound of a shattering vase rose into the air. She could only hope it wasn't anything from her room. Her parents could destroy whatever objects they wanted to so long as they steered clear of her dominion. When she turned back to Spot, he was staring at her with an indecipherable expression in his eyes. "What?"  
  
He shrugged. "Nikki, can I ask ya a question?"  
  
"You just did," she teased him, walking up to the boy to pinch his nose like she use to back in eighth grade. He smiled at the simple action but took hold of her before she could step away and held her close.  
  
"D'ya ever think about going out?" he asked, almost in a whisper. "With me? We've been best friends for the longest time now, but we never stopped to consider where our friendship was leading to. Race, Jack, and Blink were telling me how you thought...thought we should, I don't know. They thought I should ask you out."  
  
Her eyes narrowed with a burning curiosity. How many nights had she sat in bed overhearing her parents yelling at each other like primeval rivals and wish that Spot was there to hold her and comfort her and kiss her until she feel asleep? How many hours had she spent daydreaming over the time when Spot would come to his senses and realize the best girlfriend he could ever have had been right beside him for five long years? How many of her thoughts consisted of Spot telling her that he wanted her, that he needed her?  
  
Yet now as her only wishes were reaching a peak of truth, she found that a fit of terror dawned on her. This was a relationship she was embarking on...a relationship! And with Spot! She shook the thoughts out of her head; it couldn't happen! They were best friends, nothing more. Even if they wanted to go further, she knew it would never work out. Now that she had everything she had ever wanted, she found that it was no longer one of her desires.  
  
"Nikki?"  
  
She looked up at him and without thinking burst out laughing. "Oh my god! That's the most hilarious thing you've ever told me! I can't believe they actually said that! Those bastards, I'm going to have to soak them next Monday!" She purposely fell to the ground in a feigned bit of hysteria and giggled like a four-year old who was receiving a visit from Mr. Tickles. "That is great, Spot! Super great! And you actually believed them?!"  
  
Spot looked at her, half confused, half hurt. Race wouldn't lie to him about something Nikki had said, that was for sure. Neither would Jack or Blink. Was it some kind of late April fool's joke? It sure was a cruel one. As if he couldn't feel any more like an idiot, he had actually got to convincing himself that maybe it was possible for Nikki to see him as more than an older brother. And the way she now took it! As if he were an ignorant pig for thinking anything could ever happen between the two!  
  
"Come off it, Nikki," he snapped at her. "I was only going to ask ya if it was true." It was a lie, but Spot Conlon had his pride too and he wasn't about to sacrifice it.  
  
"I'm sorry, it's just that..." she choked on a bout of chuckles and sat up to cough it out. "Oh god, that's so hilarious! And then you...believed them? Ha-ha!" She fell back onto the grass.  
  
Spot rolled his eyes. "I should get going, I'll c-ya around." He turned from her without waiting for a reply and marched off in a bad mood, ready to kill his friends for having deceived him.  
  
Nikki's laughter instantly died down and as she watched her best friend cross a street, a lone tear traveled down her cheek. What had she just done?  
  
~*~*~*~*~ You goils, please keep those reviews rolling in! I love to hear back from you all! Thanks so much! And happy Easter! ^_^ Review Time! Please?! 


	4. Breaking Barriers

DISCLAIMER: No, my dears, the newsies in this story don't belong to me unfortunately. I mean, c'mon now, I'd be doing better things with them if they did. *snickers* Anywho, Nicollet belongs to me if you really care that much. So here's my disclaimer, please don't sue me. Taco Bell and Chik-fil- a are not mine either, and neither is Wendy's. Quite frankly, none of the food chains mentioned in this story belong to me. Enjoy the show.  
  
A.N.: THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU to: Technicolor Dreamgirl, Dimples, Trek, ember, Seraph, Neveah Vraign, and Ice Renegade!!! Your reviews rock my socks, girls! I love reading how you felt about each chapter so keep those reviews rolling in! Love ya! And hope ya like this new addition!   
  
*Confessions*  
  
~~~Nicollet watched Specs and his girlfriend with a jealous sigh. Her name was Emma. She had long flowing red hair like the tresses of a fairy tale's damsel and gorgeous green eyes that could keep one staring for eternity. Her smile was grand and her personality so nice that it was simply impossible to detect any flaws in the girl. And to make matters worse, she simply looked adorable together with Specs, the two laughing and joking like newly-weds. Nicollet cast her eyes downward and gazed at the turkey sub she had ordered for lunch. For some reason, she wasn't that hungry anymore.  
  
"Heya Race, nice shiner." She looked up at Snitch's familiar voice just in time to see the boy sit at her side along with Race, Jack, and Blink. Smiling at the black mark that adorned the area surrounding Race's eye, she recalled the day after her encounter with Spot in which she had confronted the gambling traitor, shouting "you promised not to tell him!" Race could only laugh at her misfortune but the banter soon ended when Nicollet balled up a fist and struck it against his face.  
  
"You put ice on that thing yet?" she asked him now, as he tried to avoid her look. "It looks like it's getting bigger and bigger every day." The others laughed.  
  
Meanwhile, Snitch was busying himself with pilfering a fry from Nicollet's food tray, a theft that proved successful. He popped the snack into his mouth with a grin and congratulated himself on his victory. "But Nikki-girl, I thought you wanted to go out with Spot."  
  
"Actually, if any of you had a brain capacity bigger than that of a jackass, you'd recall that I only said I liked the idiot. I never said I wanted to hook up with him. But Race, here, is just a genius at crossing information, aint he?" She glared at him, but wore a grin to let him know it was all in jest. Besides, she wasn't about to let her crew know exactly what had happened between her and Spot, how torn she had felt at having to pain him so. She had even skipped the following two days of school out of embarrassment and shame, choosing rather to shoot to the mall for a few hours of shopping and contemplation. The end result of which was a new outfit complete with plaid capris and a cute kitten tank top, yet no resolution for what she had done to Spot.  
  
Jack launched a spit ball into the air and ducked in laughter when the wet projectile landed onto the bald head of a passing administrator. The man spun around furiously, but unable to detect the juvenile delinquent, he stormed off muttering something about confounded high school students. Jack laughed hysterically before consulting Nicollet about the matter presently at hand. "Listen, you should've just given Spot a chance. I mean, you two got chemistry and all, right? You argue like a married couple already, so what's the problem?"  
  
"The problem," Nikki answered, "is that I don't want to be tied down in a relationship!" She gave them each a serious look, showing them she meant every word of what she had just uttered; they didn't give her any more protest.  
  
Blink, of course, naturally had to throw some comment in to enrage the girl. "Well don't look now, but your lover boy is heading this way!"  
  
"Oh dear god..." Nicollet groaned at the announcement. The last thing she wanted was to talk to Spot, for fear that a fight between them would break out in front of their friends. However, when she looked up to see her would-be best friend nearing their lunch table, no greater surprise could she face than to see him walking hand in hand with Amanda Riley, perhaps her greatest archenemy up to date.  
  
She glared at the couple. Amanda Riley was the kind of girl one loved to hate. She was the type who found it necessary to wear eighty-dollar shoes, fashionable clothes straight out of a glamour magazine, and thick eyeliner that always reminded Nicollet of Medusa for some reason. Spot was dressed in one of his preppy outfits today, reminding the girl of Dawson and his creek. She smiled up at them with that mischievous expression of hers. "Well, well, well. If it isn't Abercrombie and Bitch."  
  
"You whore!" Amanda stepped forward ready to engage in one of those senseless, uncoordinated cat fights in which hair-pulling and slapping are the main ways of defense, but Spot held her back while Nicollet only watched on undaunted.  
  
"So Spot," she said, her words fueled by the snickering of her nearby friends, "you screwing the whole cheerleading team or just the head captain?"  
  
Spot glared at the comment, especially because it only infuriated Amanda all the more. She turned to him, demanding with her eyes that he see about the problem, but when he remained motionless, she marched off with head held high. He sighed. "Nikki, did ya really have to say that crap?"  
  
"What's the deal with you being with her in the first place?"  
  
"Yea," Blink chimed in, "just a few days ago you were asking Nikki out and now you're hanging with that skank?"  
  
Nicollet shot him a menacing look. She could not believe he had just blurted that out! First off, her anger had nothing to do with Spot moving in fast with his relationships, and secondly, it wasn't Blink's business to be involving his comments in!  
  
"What the hell are you talking about? I didn't ask Nikki out."  
  
The entire table was left in utter confusion. What exactly was going on between the two best friends? No one got a chance to find out, for before anything else could be said, Nikki grabbed her backpack and walked off without a word.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Spot plunged his incision knife into the dead frog sprawled out before him and laughed when digestive juices squirted out from the wound onto Jack's goggles. Mrs. Meahl momentarily scolded him; he apologized and set to cleaning his lab table.  
  
Jack took off his goggles and wiped the yellowish slime they bore onto the apron all students were required to wear. "So, uh, Spotty. You better talk to you girl; she keeps shooting angry glances this way."  
  
"Oh yea?" Spot looked up from the sink where he was washing his hands with sanitizer but only saw Amanda busily writing away notes from her book. "What are ya talking about?"  
  
"I wasn't talking about Amanda, I was talking about Nikki." He gestured behind them with an inconspicuous nod of his head. Spot caught on and narrowed his eyes baffled when he found Nikki glowering at him as she whispered what appeared to be angry statements to her lab partner. He wondered what could possibly be her problem and had every intention of finding out that very moment, but Jack blocked his way.  
  
"Don't get all up in her face just because she's jealous, Spot. I mean, she can't help it. We tell you she wants to hook up, but then you guys never get together. I swear, I don't understand either of you!"  
  
"You make it sound as if it's my fault we're not together," Spot argued back. "She's the one that said she doesn't see me as anything more than a friend, okay? And I'm fine with that. Really, I am. But I'm not going to let her blow up on every girl I happen to go out with, alright?"  
  
Jack sighed as he set the goggles to rest atop a nearby table. "Listen, I don't know what she told you that day you went over her house, but the truth is that despite what she may tell you, she likes you more than you'd ever know. She just hides it real well, even from us! She doesn't want to get in too deep with someone and end up getting hurt; you have to show her that's not going to happen with you two."  
  
"I don't know, Jack. If she wanted to be with me, she'd tell me herself. You know how she is, outgoing, always speaking her mind. Why would she bottle up something like this? It's not like we've never done anything a normal couple would do. Hell, we even sleep over each other's places sometimes. She wouldn't keep her feelings from me."  
  
"She would if they were for you."  
  
Spot thought upon that and did not know how to respond.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
It was a surreal day in Nikki's household because for once, her parents actually were not fighting like the opposing rivals she always considered them. She was beginning to think someone had drugged their beverages earlier in the day when they actually held a civil conversation during lunch. It was simply...odd, to say the least. But she didn't mind at all. If anything, she wished their relations were more like the one they showed towards each other now. Calm, tranquil, and even loving.  
  
She considered how long the feelings might last. How long would it be until they were back at fighting? Was there any possible way to avoid an altercation? She excused herself from the kitchen table to answer the door when the bell sounded throughout the house. It was a nice little ring, like the melody of a wind chime; music to the ears. Nikki wiped her hands on her pants and opened the door, forgetting to first look as she often did. "Spot..."  
  
The boy smiled ever so slightly that Nikki assumed he was not feeling well, or had endured a rough day. He always had a smirk to offer her. "Can I, uh, come in?"  
  
"Sure." She stepped aside and let him in, closing the door once he had entered. "So what's up? You look like something's bothering you." She followed him into the living room where he plopped down onto a couch and waited for her to join him before speaking.  
  
"I've been giving alotta thought to certain things."  
  
To occupy herself, she began playing with the laces that tied up her shoes. Not particularly the most interesting task, but at least it kept her from looking directly at Spot. "What kinda things?"  
  
"Well, 'us' for example."  
  
The answer definitely required more than a verbal response. She looked up at him, startled. Where was he leading with all this? Was it the start of another fight? A lecture about how she couldn't continue putting down his girlfriend?  
  
She cleared her throat. "What about us?"  
  
"Nikki, I know you think hooking up with me is the biggest joke of the millennium and I'm cool with that. But I'm not cool with the possibility that you're lying to me when you say crap like that." He passed a hand through his hair to comb back fallen strands, but it was merely something to pass the time. To be honest with himself, he had no idea what to say next. There was enough tension in the air having Nikki right beside him as he told her how he felt. It would've been a hundred times easier had they been chatting online.  
  
"Who are you to say that I was lying?"  
  
"I didn't come all the way down here to fight with you."  
  
"All the way down here?" She laughed at the exaggeration. "You live two blocks away, Spot! That's like, a five minute walk!"  
  
Spot rolled his eyes. "You say you weren't lying but our friends beg to differ, and it's confusing the hell out of me trying to figure out whether you really do want to get together or are just playing mind games. And then to top it off, when you say you don't care what I do with my life, you only end up getting jealous whenever I'm with some new chick!"  
  
Nicollet couldn't deny that his argument held some truths. She supposed she was being rather contradictory when dealing with Spot. "I just don't want to lose you as my best friend. That's all."  
  
"Why would you think you'd lose me? You're like, my better half. You think I'd trade you in for some girlfriend? I would've hoped you knew me better than that." He was circling around the real words he wanted to say but he had to buy time some way or another. How could he reveal his feelings while Nikki was all flustered up? He'd have to soothe her feelings first, alleviate any pain he might have caused her, and then bring everything out in the open. He waited for her to reply.  
  
"I don't know..." was all she could think to say. It really didn't make any sense, she concluded, to worry her head off about Spot trading in their friendship for something more. They loved each other, and that was worth everything. She scooted in closer to him and leaned her head onto his shoulder with a sigh.  
  
Seizing the opportunity to be laidback with each other like they use to, Spot wrapped an arm around her and leaned her down so that she was laying onto the couch with her head on his lap, grinning up at him as he played with her hair. She loved snuggling with him like that, being warm and feeling protected in his strong arms, knowing nothing could come between them. She laced her fingers with his free ones and closed her eyes to daydream.  
  
"Spot?"  
  
"Mmhmm?"  
  
"You never finished what you were saying; you said you had been thinking a lot about us." There was a long silence. She opened her eyes to make sure he was still paying attention and saw that his eyes looked as if they were thinking over a complicated matter. "Spot, are you okay?"  
  
He smiled reassuringly. "Yea, I'm good." But his expression quickly turned to one of concern. "Nikki, I gotta do something and I don't want you getting offended or anything. It's just that, ever since Race and company made up that thing about you liking me, I've kinda been looking at you in a different way. And I mean, it's no big deal, cause I'm sure it'll pass after a while, but I just need to make sure..."  
  
"So what do you need to do?" She sat up then and pulled herself onto his lap, watching his reactions more closely. What did he mean by seeing her differently?  
  
Spot didn't answer her with words. Instead, he gently took her face in his hands, looked into her eyes for one long shuddering moment, and then pressed his lips against hers in a kiss that immediately sent both into another realm of fervent ecstasy. The chills that channeled through their bodies, the heat waves that radiated from the embrace, and the invisible connection that flowed between them...they were all confusing yet understandable at once.  
  
Nicollet was taken by surprise by Spot's moves but the feel of his mouth against hers somehow broke the barriers she had so long been constructing around her heart, and now she only wanted more of him. She grabbed his shirt tightly and kissed him back with as much force as she could muster. Enlivened by her desire to go further, Spot knew at once he had done the right thing. Finally they had admitted to each other the feelings they had kept hidden for so long. Finally they could be open about how they really felt.  
  
He used his weight against her and began pushing her back against the couch but she stopped abruptly and pulled away from him. "Spot," she said blushing. "My parents are home!"  
  
"Can we go to your room?" he asked anxiously, planting kisses up and down her neck.  
  
A moan escaped from her mouth and it was all she could to keep from being seduced by the charmer Spot was now being. She nudged him away reluctantly. "No, we can't. They'd kill you if they found out you were the bastard that screwed their daughter!" They laughed together, Spot stealing a kiss from her afterwards.  
  
"I'll go home, then. It's getting late anyways, and I have a test to study for." He rose from the couch, taking one of Nikki's hands and pulling her up to a standing position beside him. He grabbed her around the waist and tasted her lips once more before bidding her a goodnight and leaving the house with a love struck grin.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
More to Come, but Review!!! 


	5. A Misunderstanding

DISCLAIMER: No, my dears, the newsies in this story don't belong to me unfortunately. I mean, c'mon now, I'd be doing better things with them if they did. *snickers* Anywho, Nicollet belongs to me if you really care that much. So here's my disclaimer, please don't sue me. Taco Bell and Chik-fil- a are not mine either, and neither is Wendy's. Quite frankly, none of the food chains mentioned in this story belong to me. Enjoy the show.  
  
A.N.: MANY THANKS to all who reviewed!! It was great to receive so much feedback. W00t w00t Chocolate-covered newsies for all ya'll!!  
  
*Confessions*  
  
~~~ "Alright, students. You will have the whole class period to write a short story using the prompt that is written on the board. Your time starts...now."  
  
All twenty-two students that made up Ms. Pristera's Creative Writing class immediately picked up their pencils and started scribbling away on the notebook papers upon their desks. All twenty-two minus one; Nicollet had more urgent thoughts to process that were of more importance than a measly class grade. That kiss she had shared with Spot last night...had it all been only a dream?  
  
'Well, obviously, it couldn't have,' she thought. It had happened, they had really held each other, and they had really kissed. She grinned to herself, but the happiness soon dissipated. What if they were moving too fast? What if they were rushing into something that would only ruin their friendship? Not wanting to panic, she doodled onto her paper absentmindedly, trying to keep herself occupied. Her sketches evolved from simple lines to shapes and when she finally snapped from her musing, she saw that she had drawn a heart with her and Spot's initials at its center.  
  
She groaned at how childish she was acting and erased the heart before anyone else could see it. Across from her, James Saunter was tapping his pencil against his desk in efforts to awaken his artistic muses. Nicollet looked down at her own blank paper; perhaps she should at least attempt the assignment.  
  
'Okay, okay...what should I write about?' But she didn't want to write about anything at all! 'Maybe I can just write Spot something, a letter! Yea, and I'll ask him whether last night was just a game or whether he really meant it!' She set to work at once.  
  
~Heya Spot...She paused for a long time staring at those two words. What would she say next? How would she word it? Things seemed so different now; she couldn't regard him as her best friend any more. Now there was something new added to their relations, something she still needed to adapt to. She brought her pencil to the paper once more, but was interrupted when the dismissal bell rang suddenly.  
  
She looked up to the clock with wide eyes. "Holy crap! Class is over already?!" How could 90 minutes have passed so fast? The students around her packed their bags and handed in their finished literary works to the teacher up front, some having to staple three or four pages together. How was she going to finagle her way out of this one? Presently, Ms. Pristera was speaking with a girl about something; if Nicollet could hide behind the large football player now exiting the classroom...  
  
Mission completed. She was up and out of there in no time. She sighed in relief and rested her back against the outside of the door to gather her bearings.  
  
"Hey Nikki!" The girl waved at Mush as he broke apart from the group of friends he was chatting with to greet her. "Spot told us what happened. I'm so happy for you guys! You have no idea how long me and the others were trying to hook you two up. It was the least I could do after you got me and Natasha together." He smiled that heart-warming, little-brother smile of his and Nicollet felt obliged to pull him into a quick hug.  
  
"So, uh, what exactly did Spot say to you all?"  
  
Mush shrugged. "Just that he went over your house and you guys talked some things through, and that the night ended in more than just words." Even he blushed merely by saying the words, and so the girl didn't feel half as embarrassed when her cheeks slightly reddened.  
  
"Was he...bragging?" She didn't think she'd mind too much if he was but she surely didn't want him to go about it in a way as if he had just won some prize or achieved a task he once thought impossible. She would be appalled if she caught Spot mouthing off about how he would one day nail her; the idea was preposterous and turned her off in seconds.  
  
"Bragging? No, are you kidding me? We practically had to pull the details out of him! He wouldn't let us in on a single thing at first; he said he wanted to keep it on the down low just until he spoke with you first and made sure you were comfortable with everything. But after we bothered him about it for the whole drive to school, he finally gave in."  
  
She nodded her head in approval. That was understandable. Spot's convertible Mustang was only so big, and one could only tolerate the nitpicking of the five friends one drove to school every day for so long. Spot would eventually have to relent to their incessant whining at one time or another. She figured it was better they know sooner, just in case either she or Spot needed some encouragement along the bumpy road to a happy relationship.  
  
"Well, I better get going to my second class. I'll see you around, Mushy." She hugged him one more time before proceeding on her way to Math, and what better route to take than the one that would allow her to pass Spot's locker? She walked along in high spirits; things seemed to be going just perfect for her as of late! It was exciting, enthralling and altogether nerve-wracking.  
  
She thought about how she should act with Spot when she saw him now. Should she greet him with a heated kiss, a peck on the lips, or a simple word of 'hello'? Should she let him make the first move, or act as if last night had never happened?  
  
"Ugh! Why am I so worried about stupid things all of a sudden?" She couldn't help it, though. She couldn't help taking a detour to the ladies' room to check her appearance, reapply lip gloss, and fix her hair. There were butterflies in her stomach now but she didn't know how to free them from her conscious; her head was spinning but she wasn't quite sure how to keep it from impersonating a carousel. She was so confused!  
  
She hurried out of the restroom, fearing she would be late for her second class. If her teacher wrote her up one more referral for tardiness, she was eligible for in-school suspension. She just wanted to see Spot at least once before running off, though. She quickened her pace down the halls and rounded a corner, pausing a second to ready herself before confronting Spot. She continued on, and then stopped dead in her tracks.  
  
Spot was at his locker alright; his back turned towards Nicollet and Amanda Riley standing inches in front of him apparently enraged for her mouth was going off at a million words per minute and her arms waving wildly about as if she were some crossing guard passionate about her job. Nikki stepped back behind the corner and rested her cheek against the wall so that only her eyes could peer around the edge at the dueling pair. She didn't want to be seen by either one. She thought to march up to Amanda and claim Spot as her own, but the idea quickly diminished. Besides, she wanted to know what exactly was going on.  
  
Spot made some gesture to Amanda that made her gape at him and when he simply shrugged her off and continued to rummage through his open locker for a book, she slammed the locker door shut and glared. Nicollet couldn't hear what they were saying at all, and she wasn't a prodigy at lip-reading, but it didn't take a rocket scientist to conjecture that Miss Riley was officially pissed off over some ordeal.  
  
'Spot probably just told her about our little rendezvous,' Nicollet smirked, proud that she was involved in upsetting the head cheerleader. However, her inward celebration would only last for the briefest times, for just when she was about to deem Amanda someone no longer of her concern, the pompous girl she loathed so much caught Spot in a long kiss that the boy didn't bother to pull away from.  
  
Nicollet gasped and stepped fully behind the corner so that the sight was no longer in her view. 'He was...playing me!' She couldn't believe it! His words had sounded so authentic, so believing and true, but then he had gone behind her back and cheated on her? How could he! She shut her eyes tightly; she would be strong. No tears would mark this warrior's face; she had a tough spirit that would endure. But still she couldn't resist feeling in the least bit...betrayed.  
  
Spot rolled his eyes when Amanda nagged at him about how their being a couple was the very essence behind both of their popularities. Was she not getting it through her thick head? Was she not comprehending that he didn't want to be with her anymore? He turned away from her to fetch his English book, but with a wrath that surprised even him, she slammed his locker shut with an annoying exclamation of anger.  
  
"This is NOT over, Merryll Conlon!"  
  
He hated it when the girls he dated used his full name as if they were his mother and were lecturing him. It was one of his pet peeves. "Listen, girl. I don't know how else to say it to you. If I was bilingual, I'd tell it to you in German, but I'm not! I don't want to keep this relationship with you going. It's not going anywhere, it never was. It's better if we end it now."  
  
"What do you mean it's not going anywhere!?" She put her hands on her hips and gave him an attitude he only found amusing. "I don't know why you're laughing about this, there's nothing funny to it. You're being a complete jackass, you know that?"  
  
"I'm only telling you one time; It's over. O-V-E-R. If you want to throw yourself a pity party, it's because I found something better in my girl Nikki and I want to see where it can go. But you...well, you only made my life miserable, Amanda."  
  
She pursed her lips, stepping closer to him. "We'll see about that, won't we?" And then she grabbed him before he could stop her and seized him with a kiss. He tried to break free twice but she had a damn good hold on him that he was beginning to question whether the girl was on steroids! Finally, her grip loosened ever so slightly, and he was able to push her away and wipe his lips with an arm.  
  
"Nope, still miserable, sweetheart." He smirked at her as she emitted an agitated "UGH!", storming off in a very bad mood. Spot shook his head with a laugh. He was glad that was finally over with. He couldn't wait to see Nicollet and begin their new relationship; he wanted to officially ask her out during lunch.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Gimme a break, gimme a break. Break me off a piece of that Kit Kat bar!" After singing the popular jingle, Blink found it necessary to perform an intolerable jig he had seen in some Irish movie the other night, and kicked up his feet while Specs and Emma watched on in laughter.  
  
Soon after, Snitch came from behind his friend, smacked him upside the head, and sang, "Got a chocolate, crispy taste that's gunna make my day. That's why everywhere you go you hear the people say..."  
  
The pair of boys draped an arm over each other's shoulders and raised their voices for the final line. "Gimme a break, gimme a break. Break me off a piece of that KIT KAT BAR!" They took their bows as their audience of two applauded, much amused.  
  
Blink sat down at the table alongside Snitch and started to tell a joke, but the latter boy interrupted him. "Look, here comes little miss trouble."  
  
"Nah, didn't you hear? She and Spot started going out last night. It's safe to say we won't be seeing her in a bad mood for a long time." They laughed knowingly. Blink waved Nicollet over to him and scooted over so that she could sit down on his left.  
  
Snitch leaned over his friend to regard the girl. "So, Nikki-girl, is it true what I hear? You swapping spit with good ol' Spot these days?"  
  
Nicollet didn't answer at first. After all, what would she say? She had been under the impression that she and Spot were together for the entirety of the early morning, but then he had to go and ruin things. Surprisingly, she spoke calmly as she took a peanut butter and jelly sandwich out of her backpack. "Actually, I think we're going to break it off."  
  
"What!?" Blink nearly choked on the block of chocolate he was devouring. "But you two haven't even been together for a day! What the hell are you talking about?!"  
  
"You aint getting cold feet, are ya?" Snitch asked. "You've known Spot for five friggin' years, Nikki. Why do you keep pushing relationships away?"  
  
She had to bite her bottom lip from screaming out the obscenities she wanted to say then. If only they knew! She noticed Emma watching her from across the table and was reminded of the time she had called a voting session necessary in order to make one eligible to hang with her crew. Had it all been out of jealousy? Evidently so, for she didn't feel the slightest discomfort in having Emma join her friends for lunch.  
  
"Did something happen?" It was Specs who spoke now; he always seemed to be wise enough to realize that one's moods are many times determined by the actions of others. Wanting to tell them everything, she could only muster up enough strength to sigh. "Nikki, are you okay? Do you wanna talk?"  
  
She glanced up at him. She did in fact want to talk. It would be nice to spill out her feelings to someone and not be afraid of them opening their mouths and telling the world. And Specs was a good listener; it was his gift. "Well, this morning after I..."  
  
"Nikki Conlon! Your sweetheart is here!"  
  
The five youth already seated for lunch looked up at Jack Kelly's announcement and saw Spot walking in between him and Race, rolling his eyes at the words but still grinning nonetheless. They sauntered up to the table and said their greetings, but everyone's attention was steadily focused on the actions of the new couple.  
  
"If you guys don't mind," Spot said with a smirk, "I gotta talk with Nikki in private, so uh, we'll be right back. Nikki, can I talk to you for a minute?" She wanted to deny his request right there and humiliate him as he had done her earlier, but she figured she'd remain civil and rose to her feet instead.  
  
Race grinned. "Ooo, make-out session!" The others were sent into cheerful guffaw at the sly remark, and laughed all the more when Race jumped back from a hand swipe Nicollet attempted to shut his mouth with.  
  
Spot took Nicollet's hand and led her out of the sight of their friends to a secluded hallway not monitored during lunch. He didn't want any interruptions during their forthcoming conversation and he knew this was the perfect place that met those standards. Once they were alone, the girl snatched her hand back and crossed her arms. Spot looked at her confused but her indifferent expression was unreadable.  
  
"What's the matter?"  
  
"Nothing," she shrugged. She assumed he knew why she was angry. How could he not know? No doubt someone had clued him in on her fury throughout the day, and being bright enough, he had concluded that she had seen his morning kiss with Amanda. So why was he acting like a dumbass, she wondered. "Just hurry, I have crap to do."  
  
He didn't understand her attitude but ignored it for the time being. "I wanted to talk to you about that kiss." He hadn't had any sleep last night thinking about the passionate embrace he had shared with the girl. He kept replaying the moments in his head until his alarm clock had rung the next morning.  
  
She rolled her eyes. Why on earth would he want to rub his kiss with Amanda in her face? Did he think she wanted to relive the pain? It was bad enough having to witness the act of betrayal in person, now he wanted to make up some crap about how it didn't mean anything? "Okay, well, what about it?"  
  
"I wanted to know if it meant anything to you," he replied, still unable to determine why she was snapping at him as if he were her enemy.  
  
She looked at him as if he were insane. "You wanted to know if it meant anything to me? Why the hell would it! If you want to involve every single girl you meet into your life, it's fine with me, but don't go pulling me into it!" She couldn't believe how big a jerk he was being!  
  
Spot's temper started to rise. "Oh sorry," he snapped at her. "I just thought it's what you wanted, but I guess I was wrong."  
  
"You're damn straight you were wrong. I'm not going to be in a relationship with someone who can't even decide who he wants to be with!"  
  
"What the hell are you talking about, Nikki!? That kiss really meant a lot to me. It's not that hard for me to decide who I want to be with after sharing something special like that with someone!"  
  
She couldn't think of a time when she hated him more than she did now. How could he go on about how special his kiss with Amanda had been when they had shared something just as extraordinary last night? She didn't want to stick around to find out. "Ya know what? I don't care about how you feel. From now on, I'm not getting myself into any more of your crap. I thought we had something special between us, but I guess it's just not there any more."  
  
"Fine!" he nearly yelled back. "I'm probably better off without you anyways!"  
  
"Same here, bastard!" Then they turned away from each other and walked down opposite ends of the hall, each harboring hatred, anger, and a broken heart.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
More to Come. REVIEW, please? ^_^ Love ya all! 


	6. The Matrix or Lacrosse

DISCLAIMER: No, my dears, the newsies in this story don't belong to me unfortunately. I mean, c'mon now, I'd be doing better things with them if they did. *snickers* Anywho, Nicollet belongs to me if you really care that much. So here's my disclaimer, please don't sue me. Taco Bell and Chik-fil- a are not mine either, and neither is Wendy's. Quite frankly, none of the food chains mentioned in this story belong to me. Enjoy the show.  
  
A.N.: A BIG FAT THANKS to: Technicolor Dreamgirl, Meredith, Dreamer, Dimples, Ice Renegade, Seraph, Jaede Loriele Conlon, Kathryn Mason-Skyes, and Ember for reviewing! W00t w00t! *The newsies jump onto a table and start stripping for the reviewers* ^_^ Heehee. Enjoy this chappie, goils!   
  
*Confessions*  
  
~~~ For the following few weeks that ensued the terrible verbal fight between Spot and Nicollet, the once inseparable companions now found their selves becoming the pawns of that ongoing childish game called jealousy. While Nicollet completely ignored Spot whenever the entire gang hung out in school, choosing rather to speak with Jack or Race during like times, Spot took matters into his own hand and made it his business to exaggerate his flirtations with the girls who were obsessed with him, also making sure he was always in Nicollet's line of sight.  
  
It made no sense at all to either one why they were doing such, for deep within their hearts-though they'd never admit to it-they both wanted the relationship back, whether it was merely established on a friendly basis or was spiced with something more. They didn't want to hate each other and it hurt not having talked for as long as they refused. But there was still that poisonous seed of anger taking residence in their minds, and for the time being, it was of more power than any will to forget the past.  
  
The tides fell even harder on the six in close ties with Spot and Nicollet. It all started one rainy Friday after school, when plans were being made for the night.  
  
Spot hated the fact that the crew's in-school meetings were always held at Nicollet's locker. It had been as such for much too long; perhaps it was time for a change. Fortunately, the girl wasn't the only was there when he finally traversed the crowded halls to the appropriate area. Jack, Snitch, and Mush had arrived before he, and only one of them was chatting away nonsense with Nicollet.  
  
"Heya Spot!" Jack spit shook with his friend, catching Nicollet's glare out the corner of his eye. Did she expect him to stop associating with Spot just because she had? He didn't bother worrying over the matter, assuming they'd work things out eventually.  
  
"So, are we going to the lacrosse game tonight or what? I promise Desiree I'd be there." He smirked. Desiree Prado had won last year's sophomore superlative for both 'Most Attractive' and 'Biggest Flirt'. But she wasn't a stuck-up cocky brat as one might assumer. Rather, she was the type of girl one would feel in competition in when reeling in the men, the type shy dolls would envy for her bravery.  
  
Jack grinned back knowingly. "Hot girls running around swinging sticks. What could be better?" They laughed while Blink and Race joined the assembly.  
  
Nicollet looked at her watch; she needed to get home to help her mother sort out the unwanted items in their house for tomorrow's garage sale before she'd be able to go out anywhere with her friends. "Alright, guys. Let's hurry and decide what we're going to do, huh? How 'bout we go see a movie? Matrix Reloaded is out already!"  
  
"That movie freaks me out," Mush said in a low voice, provoking a hearty laughter from his companions. "It does! I mean, those plug sockets on the back of their necks?" He shuddered. "If there's such thing as a matrix, leave me in the real world."  
  
"Wait," piped in Snitch. "Where's Specs?"  
  
"Oh, he had to go to a study session, I don't know. He said he'll be too busy this weekend studying for exams to hang with us. I swear, that boy's going to be a doctor or something." Nicollet smiled at the reality of it all and then remembered her present task of trying to decide on a place to go. "The malls are too crowded on Friday's...why don't we..."  
  
Spot stepped closer into the group still wearing a smirk. "Hey guys, the girls' lacrosse team plays tonight; it's a home game too. And Mush, your girl Natasha's going to be there because her best friend's on the Varsity team. I say we shoot out here around seven and watch it."  
  
Blink brought a hand to his chin in thought. He loved watching female sports, for more than one reason. "I'm in on that, man. Maybe it'll give me a chance to comfort a babe from the team that loses." The others laughed, except Nicollet, who wasn't too pleased with Spot's idea being the one accepted.  
  
She tried to dissuade the four who hadn't made up their mind yet from going. "Oh please, it's going to be one long boring game! Who cares about the lacrosse team? Let's catch a movie instead."  
  
"It's not boring if you look in all the right places," Spot replied devilishly, slapping hands with Blink who nodded in approval.  
  
Nicollet glared at Blink. "If you're that horny, why don't you get off in the bathroom and then come talk to us when you're done?" Everyone was silenced by the blatant remark; Spot rolled his eyes. Upon the lockers, Race leaned his body as he noticed that this was merely another indirect fight between Spot and Nicollet. He hated how they always did this, how they manipulated him and the others as if they were chess pieces in the Conlon versus Cordelli game board.  
  
"You know what, people?" he asked as he stretched his arms to crack as many bones as he could, "I say half of us go to the game, and the other half to the movies. That way, we don't have to choose between either side of our little debating couple."  
  
"What's that suppose to mean?" Nicollet snapped.  
  
Race only shrugged. "Spot, Blink, Mush, and Jack can go to the game. Me, Nikki, and Snitch will go see the Matrix. Sound good?" When he received silent head bobs, the matter was settled. He took Nicollet's arm and glanced at her watch. "Damnit! It's 3:30 already! My bus already left!"  
  
"Aw, man!" Nicollet slapped a hand across her forehead. "That means mines left too! How am I suppose to get home now?!" All eyes fell upon Spot- the only one in the gang with his own car. He would be the transportation provider for Jack, Blink, Mush, and his younger cousin who would be riding with him today already. There was space enough for one more, and he definitely didn't want that individual to be Nicollet. He hesitated for an answer.  
  
"Thank God I have a bike!" Snitch laughed. He bid farewell to his friends and walked off to the bike racks to head off home.  
  
The remaining six stood behind in an uncomfortable silence. Spot took his keys out a pocket and started to walk away as well. "I'm going to get Lucas. Whoever's riding with me, wait in the parking lot." Without another word, he started down the hallway.  
  
Nicollet flicked him off behind his back. "You know he doesn't wanna give me a ride," she complained to the others. "He's making it look like the decision's all on me, but you know he's hoping I'll walk home!"  
  
"I'm sure he'd drive you home," said Jack, exhausted by this endless bickering.  
  
"Bull!" She took out a notebook from her locker and then gently closed the door shut. "I've been needing some exercise anyways. I'll just walk it." She looked to Race with an innocent gaze. "Racey, will you come with me? We'll pass your house on the way, and I'll buy you ice cream from that one place across the way..." She smiled at him.  
  
Race sighed. When would Spot and Nicollet grow up? It was a major folly to befriend a couple; having to pick sides was getting annoying. "Fine, I'll go. But only if you get me the fudge brownie sundae." He laughed and draped an arm over Nicollet's shoulders.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Blink jumped to his feet and hollered a cheer, his excitement merely fueled by the fact that the Varsity girls had just ran onto the field to begin the game. "Woooo Hoooo!" He waved his arms wildly, popcorn spilling out of the bag in his hands.  
  
Jack laughed under the shower of popcorn and regarded Spot. "Do we always have to bring this nutcase with us when we go somewhere? People are starting to look at us like we're crazy!"  
  
Spot smiled with a shake of his head. He always thought it amusing how Blink acted like a freakish, incontrollable whacko. It always made the days a tad bit more interesting. "Look, there's Desiree." He pointed to a tall brunette with hair pulled back in a pony tail and emerald eyes flashing playfully and watched as the girl casually strode into the bleachers to greet him.  
  
"Hiya Spot," she said in an upbeat tone as she leaned over to brush her lips against his. Spot decided to turn it into more and pulled the girl down onto his lap to fire up the kiss. "Wow, we should do that more often." She gave him one last peck before sprinting back to her team which had by then huddled into a circle to review their game plan.  
  
Spot licked his lips and lounged back with a grin. He and Desiree would look good together, he thought. Their personalities matched pretty well as far as he was concerned; it might be months before they had their first real fight. Maybe he'd ask her out before the month ended. He was wrenched from his thoughts when he saw three familiar faces coming his way. Nicollet, Race, and Snitch.  
  
He bolted upwards in his seat with narrowed eyes. "What the hell are they doing here?!" Jack and Blink groaned upon seeing Nicollet; it would surely be the start of an ear-piercing fight. Yet while Race and Snitch joined their companions after explaining that the movie had been sold out, Nicollet instead met up with three of her punk friends seated three rows in front of Spot.  
  
Matt Bradshaw smiled up at Nicollet as she plopped down beside him and rested her head onto his shoulder. He'd never tell, but he knew he had something going for the girl. Whenever he saw her enter their History class, his heart would speed up and his emotions melt into goo. His friends would laugh at him if they knew a girl could make him feel that way, so he kept his mouth shut about it. But with Nicollet here openly being flirtatious with him, he wasn't' sure how long he could hold up the charade.  
  
He slid an arm around her waist, kissing her hair ever so gently. "What's up, kiddo? You look like you're in the downs."  
  
"Nothing," she lied. She snuggled in closer to him and wrapped his arms around her, fully welcoming the warmth it brought her. She remembered when Spot use to hold her like this...She shook the memories out of her head. No doubt he was probably glaring at her public display of affection that very moment. "Matt, how come you never kiss me?"  
  
The boy opened his mouth to say something but the words wouldn't come out, for at that same moment, Nicollet pressed her lips against his own, and they were lost in the embrace.  
  
Spot rolled his eyes as he watched on. Since when did Nicollet make out with any guy that gave her the chance? This battle was getting crueler by the day, but he wouldn't let her attacks go without countering them. No, he would go the whole nine yards, even further if it was her wish. Whatever she dealt him was nothing new to him.  
  
Race noticed his tension and offered some comforting words. "That's just Matt. They write for the school newspaper together and are pretty close. I don't think she likes him, though."  
  
"I could care less if she did," Spot threw back. Why did everyone think he was affected by whatever the hell Nicollet chose to do? Did they think he was jealous? "Let her date the whole baseball team at one time for all I care; she'd probably be too afraid to hit third base with either one anyways. It's not like they'll be getting any."  
  
"Don't talk about her like that."  
  
"Why, you staring to like her now, Race? C'mon, you could do better."  
  
Race stood to his feet. "She's your best friend! Why are you treating her like trash?"  
  
Spot stood up as well, his face nearly touching Race's as they began to shout at each other. "She's not my best friend, alright? And I'll treat who I want with trash! I don't need you telling me how to run my friendships with other people! Besides, how else would you treat a whore?" The last word for some reason reverberated in the air louder than the others and everyone in hearing distance looked at Spot with questioning expressions.  
  
Nicollet had heard but refused to look back as she sat in Matt's arm. "Damn bastard," she muttered under her breath. Matt turned to her confused, wondering what she had said, but she only excused herself with a lie that she needed to go home, got up, and began descending the bleacher stairs.  
  
Spot caught sight of her. "Yea, run, Nikki! That's all you're good at doing! Running away from everything!"  
  
"Shut your damn mouth, Spot!" she nearly screamed at him as she spun around and marched back up the stairs to near him. "You shout and holler about how great you are, the almighty Merryll. Ooo, let's all bow down and worship him! And yet you're nothing but a lying, cheating, son of a bitch!"  
  
"What, you're player-hating now?"  
  
She looked at him as if she were disgusted. "I always did. You're full of it, Spot. You need to get over yourself and get a reality check, man." The crowds of youth around started to gather in closer, eagerly trying to hear every single word exchanged and praying that a fight would break out so that they might see some action.  
  
"Oh, cut the crap, Nikki. I've never even cheated on you so I don't know why you're bitching about it." He crossed his arms and waited for her reply. What would she say now? How would she try to win over the crowd with her next words? She had nothing on him, nothing! How dare she call him a cheater when she had no evidence by which to prove that claim. She was pulling things out of the air now!  
  
"Whatever, Merryll. Live in denial all you want. You think you're so suave and cool. I know you for the asshole you are!" She shoved him back and turned on her heels to leave behind her friends, the cheering crowd, and the lacrosse team.  
  
Spot clenched his fist tighter and tighter until his knuckles turned white. What the hell was that girl's problem! He was beginning to be convinced that she had psychological problems. What was this about living in denial, and her knowing him as the jerk he supposedly was? Had he somehow mistakenly wronged her without intentions to, and then had forgotten to apologize? He thought upon it, but nothing seemed to click.  
  
"Yo, Merryll. What was that all about?" It was Chad Baker who had asked, the football jockey who had a passion fro confrontations.  
  
"Who knows," Spot replied. "She's probably pissed 'cause I wouldn't sleep with her." He hadn't meant to humiliate the girl behind her back, but he had a reputation to uphold and a pride he wasn't about to trade in for a best friend that obviously hated him at present.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Review, Review, Review!!! ^_^ 


	7. Evil Vending Machines

DISCLAIMER: Only Nicollet Cordelli, her parents, the high school teachers, and the names not featured in the movie Newsies belong to me. The other characters belong to Disney. Also, the food restaurants used don't belong to me. So don't sue me, k?  
  
A.N: Mucho thanks to all who reviewed!!! YaaaaY! I'm thrilled that ya'll are thinking this story rocks! There's only a few more chapters to go, though, so don't get too attached. ^_^ Shout-outs to: Ice Renegade, Kate Lawrence, Meredith, Seraph, Dreamer, imaginelet, ember, Dimples, NicNac, Spatz, K.M-Skyes, and Isabelle Gibson! You goils are awesome!  
  
*Confessions*  
  
~~~Perhaps what Nicollet hated the most about Mr. Rogers' American history class was that he formulated his seating chart by means of alphabetical order, thus placing her at Spot's side with a last name that came right after his own. Cordelli. Why had she been cursed with a surname that began with the letter she now hated? It might not have been so bad if each student had his or her own seat and writing area, but no, Mr. Rogers liked tables built for two instead and so Spot and Nicollet were forced to share a small desk space with one another.  
  
She re-folded her arms when her elbow swelled with soreness and once again rested her head down to catch a quick nap while the teacher stepped out in the hall to address an unruly student. Spot watched her for a few moments and inwardly sighed. He wanted so much to speak with her and apologize for all he had said at the lacrosse game the other night, and yet he was too proud to do so. Why should he be the one to step down if it was just as much her fault as it was his? He didn't want to seem weak.  
  
So instead of making amends, he merely took out a car magazine and started to peruse through the pages. The class prankster was busy trying to hide Mr. Rogers' lecture notes while the others were either flirting with their crushes, scribbling profane remarks in the back pages of their text books, or gossiping about whoever stole whoever's girlfriend. Spot shook his head; all was normal in other words. That is, until he noticed Matt Bradshaw hesitantly making his way over to him with hands in his pockets and eyes looking down. He had been a new student to the class during the second semester, and so though his name was alphabetically at the top of the roll, he had been assigned a seat towards the back.  
  
"Heya Merryll." Matt kept his gaze downwards to his feet, as if the dirt on their laces was less intimidating than Mr. Popular's icy cool glare.  
  
Nicollet instantly awoke at the sound of Matt's voice. "Bradshaw, what brings ya to this side of the classroom?" She smiled at his obvious nervousness; it reminded her of Mush. "Come to get those CD's I promised you?" She leaned over towards her backpack to retrieve the objects, but Matt interrupted her.  
  
"Actually," he replied, "I was going to ask Merryll here if he could switch seats with me."  
  
"Why?" Spot closed his magazine and narrowed his eyes at the boy, his blue irises turning grey in a judging fashion.  
  
"Just to be closer to Nikki, I guess. And also, it'd help if I was closer to the board so I could see what Mr. Rogers is writing. I think I've gone blind in this class trying to decipher his sentences." Spot laughed sarcastically, but Matt didn't notice. "Anyways, I thought you'd be a pal and help a guy out."  
  
"Oh really?"  
  
Nicollet ignored Spot's remarks. "Of course you can switch seats with him, Matt. Just ask Mr. Rogers when he comes back, he wouldn't mind. It'd be funner having you as my partner than Merryll."  
  
"Actually, Matt," came Spot's argument, "I kinda have bad eyesight myself, so maybe you can just switch seats with someone else." It was another lie, but that was beside the point. "Besides, I like sitting next to Nikki and annoying the hell out of her. She'll never admit it, but it turns her on."  
  
"The hell it does!"  
  
Matt stepped back from the arguing pair. It was freaky how they wouldn't look at each other even though the disagreement was between them. It was as if they were using him as the middle man; he could only scratch the back of his head in confusion and continue to watch them.  
  
"Don't believe anything he says. I would gladly switch schedules if I could if it meant I wouldn't have to deal with Merryll. Shoot, I'd switch school districts! You go ahead and tell Mr. Rogers about this, okay?"  
  
Spot's glare hardened. "Seating arrangements can't be changed so late in the year. We only have a few more weeks left of school!"  
  
"If you can't see, then you can't see. There's nothing you can do about it! If you need to switch seats with someone, then do it. I'm sure our teacher won't mind."  
  
"Ya know what? Forget this." Spot stuffed his backpack with his magazine, rose to his feet, and slung the bag over his shoulders. "If you wanna sit with the damn girl, go ahead. I could care less."  
  
Nicollet bit her bottom lip as she felt the burden of what was happening. She hadn't really wanted Spot to move; it was merely a way of proving that she was just as strong as he. She couldn't simply sit there and have Matt shooed away for it'd make her look as if she wanted to stay near Spot, which was an image she couldn't yet uphold. "Well, Matt, you still need to get it approved by Mr. Rogers."  
  
Her eyes met with Spot's for the briefest moment, and then they looked away from each other, embarrassed. Matt Bradshaw, however, had no idea what was passing between the two, and so when their history teacher finally returned to the class, he raised the matter of the seating arrangement almost immediately, and Mr. Rogers obliged him. Spot was assigned a new seat towards the back of the classroom next to infamous slacker Heath Soto, who was occupying himself with building a pyramid with empty cigarette boxes, and slouched into the empty chair almost miserably.  
  
Nicollet looked back at him as if to say sorry but Spot only glowered back.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Jack, Emma, Snitch, and Blink looked on amused as Spot tried to handle his present fight with the utmost urbanity.  
  
"Sure, laugh it up," Spot raised his voice at them, not seeing how they could find humor in his hard luck. He turned back to the vending machine and rested his forehead against the hard plastic structured between him and the bag of Doritos he had wasted three quarters to. His eyes fell onto the clamp holding the bag which had only turned to the right ever so slightly, thus keeping the Doritos from falling to the below dispenser, and let out an agitated growl.  
  
In a sudden bout of anger, he brought back a clenched fist and began taking blows at the machine, but when that proved unsuccessful, he resulted to kicking the confounded thing, and then throwing his body against the machine. Yet all attempts proved to no avail. Letting a chain of obscenities flow from his mouth, he kicked once more and then crossed his arms discouraged. When he turned away from the machine, those who had been staring at him from the tables where they sat instantly looked away and continued their conversations.  
  
Blink stepped forward with a mischievous grin on his face. "Does this have anything to do with Desiree having dumped you this morning?" Spot gave him a look as if to warn against pressing the matter any further.  
  
Jack, however, didn't notice. "Whoa, Desiree broke up with you?" He let out a light laugh. "What's with you and not being able to keep a girl for more than a few days? Did you try to get more than she wanted to give?"  
  
"I don't know," said Spot, but something in the way he had answered made them aware of his intentions to simply keep his business to himself, as far as relationships went.  
  
"Maybe it has something to do with Nikki getting your ass moved away from her in history then?" Snitch asked slyly. He didn't have the class the same period as Nicollet or Spot, but when he had come to turn in an essay, he had noticed the difference in seating arrangement.  
  
Spot glared at him. "Nah, it doesn't have anything to do with that. I wanted to move, she just gave me the perfect opportunity to."  
  
"Sure she did," the other replied.  
  
"Ya know, I don't know where you all get off telling me why the hell I feel the way I do. You don't know anything, okay? So stop making up crap about how it's all about Nikki. It's not. Get that through your heads."  
  
The others submitted to silence, not wanting to birth an uncontrollable temper outbreak. Emma was the first to speak after a few moments. She smiled warmly at Spot and her words were soothing and at once calm. Spot never noticed how peaceful her voice was until now.  
  
"Merryll, I don't know about the others, but when I first met you and Nikki, I thought you both made the cutest couple. True, you were always arguing with her, but some couples start off like that. Specs and I even did. We'd always compete against each other in class and try to be better than the other. But then we realized how much better things would be if we worked together...and no sooner did we do that, then we realized how much we needed each other."  
  
Study hall's dismissal bell rang then, but the majority of the student body remained where they were seated, destined to not even think about moving until a dean came their way and shooed them off. Emma gathered her books from a nearby table and holding them in one arm, faced Spot again. "You have to look pass the fighting, Merryll, and figure out why it is you're always against each other. I doubt it has anything to do with hatred. Maybe it's competition, maybe it's just best friends bickering. Maybe it's even what you're afraid it is."  
  
Spot arched an eyebrow. "And what exactly would that be?"  
  
"Well, maybe it's just you two hiding the fact that you really want to be together."  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Nicollet walked the length of her driveway where on either side were two long rectangular tables upon which laid various items for sale. Collectible dolls her mother use to collect, books, old clothes, jewelry, tools, and more of the like. Seeing an unpriced item, she brought blank labels from her pocket and scribbled '$1' onto one circular sticker before affixing it onto the object.  
  
"Mom!" she called out into the open garage. "Can you bring me out a glass of orange juice?" Saturday mornings were better begun when started off with a cool drink to replenish the body. Nicollet absolutely loved orange juice; right after pink lemonade, she thought it the best drink in the world.  
  
"Sure honey!" a voice replied from inside the house.  
  
Nicollet reclined into a beach chair she had set up under the shade of her house's roof and watched an old couple go through her book collection while a young boy threw around toys cast aside in a box for something that appealed to him.  
  
A cool breeze rustled the leaves of the tree on her front lawn and she closed her eyes to rest in the relaxation it gave her. Last week's garage sale had reeled in loads of money and proved to be a success. She hoped the same would hold true today. Thinking so, her mind escaped to happier days, better times in which she knew peace and comfort. When she reopened her eyes, they fell upon something for sale she hadn't noticed before. A raggedy old baseball glove with her initials written onto the palm.  
  
She smiled. Spot had given it to her for her twelfth birthday-the year when making the school's softball team was her evolving obsession. Spot had trained with her for the three months summer allotted them, spending several hours a day with the girl even when his soccer friends beckoned him to ditch Nicollet and join them for a few laughs. He stayed with her throughout it all, and she couldn't thank him enough when the try- outs were over and the list of that season's team members posted; she had made the cut, and all because of Spot's devotion.  
  
"What's changed in him?" she asked herself aloud. "Now he's devoted to the entire female population!"  
  
The old couple approached her with three dollars in their hands, the total sum for the triad of books they wanted to purchase. Nicollet took the money with a smile and wished them a good day. As they left, more customers came to browse, one being Spot Conlon himself.  
  
All week long, Spot had thought upon Emma's words. For the life of him, he couldn't figure out the reason behind his arguments with Nicollet. At first, they'd seem to be fueled by real purpose, with concrete reasoning and complaints that could withstand anything. But were such things only excuses? Were he and the girl only trying to magnify matters into things they were never meant to be? He wasn't quite sure. Fight after fight, it certainly seemed as if he and Nicollet were simply meant to be the type of best friends that bark at each other for the rest of their lives, but after Emma had spoken to him, he was beginning to question Nicollet's real motives, and those of his own.  
  
And so, momentarily retiring his pride, he had decided to meet up with her once and for all and talk everything out thoroughly. It was hard to do at first, but he no longer anchored resentment towards her and it was making more and more sense as the hours passed to finally make a truce.  
  
Nicollet pursed her lips as Spot neared her. Half of her went into a flustered frenzy, complete with speeding heart and a feeling of great panic, but the other half stayed on guard, unwilling to be hurt once again by the boy. Had he come to apologize, or had he come looking for trouble?  
  
"What do you want?" she asked.  
  
He pulled up a chair beside her and sat onto it. "I saw your 'Garage Sale' signs at the intersection and thought I'd stop by."  
  
"Go away, Merryll." She turned in her seat so that her back was to him.  
  
Spot's lips formed a straight line as his temper level rose. Why was she being so difficult? Here he was trying to make things better and all she could say was 'Go Away'? He would've left right then and there, but then he noticed a boy fitting his small hand into an all too familiar baseball glove. He spoke out in protest. "Hey! That's Ruthie!" (He and Nicollet hand an unusual ritual of naming inanimate objects back in the day)  
  
She glanced at the boy holding out fifty cents-the total the glove was priced for. Somehow, the coins didn't look as alluring as the other money earned had. Their silver luster dulled in her sight; perhaps the glove's memories stole their glory. "Yea, and I don't want her anymore."  
  
"Nikki, that cost me a month's allowance!"  
  
She reluctantly held out her hand to receive the two quarters but Spot snatched her arm away. She gave him an incredulous look. "What's your problem? Why do you care so much?"  
  
"Because...because, it was..."  
  
"Special? Is that it? That it stood for our friendship? In case you haven't noticed, that friendship kinda doesn't stand anymore!"  
  
The boy with the glove groaned in impatience. "Excuse me, can I buy this already?"  
  
"Shut up!" Spot snapped at him. "Nikki, why are you acting like this, like you hate me?"  
  
"Because you ruined what we had!"  
  
Spot ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. "I ruined it? Damnit, what are you talking about!? You were the one who said you didn't want to hook up!"  
  
She reached for the boy's two quarters again but Spot pulled her back. She shook his grip off her and wondered as to how he could manage acting like this, as if he hadn't a clue what she was talking about! "And you're the one who stuck your tongue down Amanda Riley's throat the day I thought you were going to ask me out!"  
  
"W-what?" His eyes widened at the statement. "You, you saw that?"  
  
"Of course I saw it! Don't act like you didn't know!"  
  
"Are you going to take my fifty cents or what!" exclaimed the boy with the glove.  
  
"Shut up!" Nikki yelled at him. She felt uncomfortable suddenly, as if she were a claustrophobic trapped in strange confines. She arose and walked to the front exterior of her house with her arms wrapped about her.  
  
Spot followed behind worriedly. "I was breaking up with her, Nikki. I was breaking up with her and the little bitch acted like a brat and kissed me. I tried to push her away but she was acting all crazy. But I guess that's one thing you didn't see, huh?"  
  
She knew the question had a bitter tone to it, but perhaps she deserved it. Still, was he speaking the truth? "You pushed her away?"  
  
"Yea! I mean, I'm sorry and all that you thought I was cheating on you, but I thought you knew me better than that. I'd never do something like that to you."  
  
A tear fell from her eye when something dawned on her. "You were talking about our kiss that day, not the one Amanda gave you..." She buried her face in her hands, humiliated. Why had she assumed as much? "I'm such an idiot! I thought..."  
  
He took her hands down and leaned his forehead onto hers as he gazed into her tear-filled eyes. "Don't worry about it. It's okay now."  
  
"What about all your kisses with Desiree?"  
  
"What about all yours with Matt?"  
  
She lowered her head and smiled down at her feet. So he had been checking up on her after all. She had to admit, it did make her feel better in an unusual way, to know he had had just as difficult a time as she. Spot placed two fingers under her chin and lifted her face so that their eyes were level again.  
  
"Can I buy this stupid glove!?!?"  
  
"Shut Up!!" Spot and Nicollet had said it in unison this time. The boy rolled his eyes, threw the glove to the ground, and stormed off slightly agitated. The couple laughed.  
  
"So," Spot said, as he brushed loose strands of hair behind Nicollet's ear, "does this mean we're starting over?"  
  
She answered him with a heated lip-lock that injected a chain reaction of sparks throughout his body. Feeling her against his body like that, his arms encircled around her frame, was complete to him. Like it was meant to be. He hungrily kissed her back, cupping her face in his hands and trying to further his expeditions of her mouth.  
  
"Nicollet Jamie Cordelli!"  
  
The teenagers pulled away from the kiss instantly and turned to see Nicollet's mother standing aside them holding a glass of orange juice and wearing a surprised look. Though she appeared ready to scold them, her next words contradicted her parenting position. "If you're going to make out with Merryll, do it on your own time! We're running a business here, now get to work!" She handed her daughter the glass of juice, flashed a smile at the couple, and retreated back into the house.  
  
"Thanks, Mrs. Cordelli," Spot called after the woman. Lacing his fingers with Nicollet's, he smirked and pulled the girl closer to him. "Sorry, girly, but it looks like you're going to have to wait until later for me to sweep ya off your feet."  
  
She rolled her eyes but gave him one last kiss nonetheless. "Don't try too hard," she whispered into his ear. "I fell for you a long time ago."  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
More to Come. Review! ^_^ 


	8. Punished for Loving

DISCLAIMER: Only Nicollet Cordelli, her parents, the high school teachers, and the names not featured in the movie Newsies belong to me. The other characters belong to Disney. Also, the food restaurants used don't belong to me. So don't sue me, k?  
  
A.N: WOW, 14 Reviews!!! That is soooo AWESOME and it really really really made my day! Thanks so much, everybody! Yeeeeeee HAW! Shout outs to: imaginelet, Seraph, Meredith, Dreamer, Ice Renegade, sugarNspice, Isabelle Gibson, spatz, Apollonia, unnamed, Kate Lawrence, ember, Dimples, and Technicolor Dreamgirl! THANK YOU! Please keep 'em rolling in!  
  
*Confessions*  
  
~~~Spot stared at the two paragraphs he had typed for an essay which counted as one third of his semester grade and slammed his fist onto the keyboard. "Only six more pages to go," he said between clenched teeth. But as he readied his fingers to type more sentences he found himself slowly drifting away. He couldn't remember a time when he felt more tired. It was already pass one o'clock in the morning, and he hadn't even started on his other homework earlier in the day!  
  
Not that he had a reasonable excuse. At least not one any teacher would accept. Nicollet had called him an hour or so after school had let out and had kept him on the line for nearly five hours; he didn't even know how that was possible, seeing how they hadn't talked about anything in particular, just whatever random thought came to mind. But he wasn't complaining. Time spent with her wasn't time wasted.  
  
He rubbed his eyes and then looked back at the screen before him, a pitiful specimen of essays his English teacher would collect tomorrow. He felt ready to just feign a stomach sickness and stay home from school, but that probably wouldn't be too clever. Ms. Stewart would deduct fifty points from his grade if he turned the assignment in late. With a sigh, he saved his work and decided he would have to simply wake up early tomorrow morning and finish the essay.  
  
He set his alarm clock for 5 a.m., changed into the flannel pajamas Nicollet had bought him last Christmas, and collapsed onto his bed as if he hadn't slept in days. The pillow felt so soft under his head and the mattress beneath him so inviting. He brought his quilt closer against him, closed his eyes, and let a much-needed slumber come to him.  
  
He was dreaming about receiving a one million dollar check from the state governor for rescuing an animal from a tree when his cell phone rang. He curled his pillow around his ears and tried to drain the noise out, but whoever was calling persisted by ringing again. "Daaamn," he muttered.  
  
Throwing the bed covers, he crawled under them in search of the jeans he had carelessly tossed aside last night, solely guided by the annoying 'Fur Elise' melody that was his phone's ring. He finally located the object in the back pocket of the discarded pants, but when he answered it, the caller had already hung up. "Ugh!" He thought to crawl back to his pillow. His body wouldn't budge, though, so he merely laid his head down right where he was.  
  
The phone rang again. His eyes shot open with a sleep-deprived rage. He accepted the call, brought the phone to his ear, and yelled a "WHAT?" that surprisingly didn't wake up the rest of his family.  
  
"Spot?"  
  
"Nikki? Is that you?" He pressed the phone harder against his ear; she was barely audible. Lifting himself up onto his elbows, his attention had finally been gained. "What's the matter? Are you alright?"  
  
"Spot, can you come over? Please? My parents just had this huge fight, they were screaming and everything. My mom's in the kitchen bawling her eyes out, my dad left, it's all screwed up! Please, Spot? I really need you..."  
  
Spot glanced back at the time on his alarm clock, the red numbers still blurry as his eyes adjusted to the grogginess he was still feeling. "Baby, it's 2:25 in the morning. Can't this wait until tomorrow? Just get some rest and I'll pick you up for school at the usual time, and then we'll have a nice long talk about it, okay?"  
  
There was a long pause, a deafening silence broken seconds later by a sound that was unmistakable. On the other line, Nicollet began to cry. Softly at first, but the pain behind each sob grew in intensity and eventually the girl had to cover her mouth with a hand.  
  
"Nikki, what's the matter? Are you crying?"  
  
She tried to stabilize her voice, but her final plea came out shakily. "Please, Spot?"  
  
He certainly couldn't turn her down now that she was crying! He told her he'd be there in a few minutes, hung up with her, and then threw the phone across the room with a groan. "Nikki, you're going to kill me one of these days," he grumbled to himself. He rolled himself out of his bed before he'd fall asleep again and thought upon something. Nicollet had countless times asked him to sleep over, had even slept over his place as well, but she had never come to him like this...pleading with him, making it seem like she would crumble to ruins if he didn't grant her request. She had always been strong.  
  
What could possibly be wrong?  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Nicollet sat cross-legged on her bed, hugging a stuff animal to her chest as if it were the only protection she could result to at a time like this. She tried to erase the memories from her mind, the screaming and hollering and cursing, but her efforts were all in vain, and she wished more than ever that her body would find sleep so that she might rest and perhaps never awake into her present turmoil. She supposed that was too much to ask for, however.  
  
She heard someone approaching the outside of her closed door then and immediately put on an angered expression, not knowing why she wished her mother to see her so. It certainly wasn't the woman's fault her father had left, so how could Nicollet blame her? But broken-hearted as she was, her mind couldn't quite make that connection and so she was ready to lash out at just about anyone.  
  
The doorknob turned slowly and she awaited her mother with a glare, but as the door little by little swung open, where there should've been deep brown eyes there were blue ones instead, deep and filled with concern. It was Spot!  
  
Nicollet didn't greet him with words but instead jumped to her feet, rushed over to him, and wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her face onto his chest. Spot in turn pulled her closer to him and kissed her hair. "Aww, Nikki, what'sa matter?" He nudged her back at arm's length and frowned at her reddened eyes and tear-stained cheeks.  
  
He'd never seen her like this before; completely vulnerable and weak. The last time she had exhibited such attributes was when her Dalmatian dog had passed away, but they were both eleven at the time and such things were understandable. Since then, though, Nicollet had always boxed up her feelings, refusing to show the slightest emotion to anyone, lest it be anger or happiness.  
  
"Spot, he left! My dad just left. He didn't even say goodbye! What makes him think he can do that, huh? I can't believe how big of an ass he's being! He could've stayed and worked things out...and then my mom! She doesn't even try to get him to stay! It was like she didn't care!" She was freely speaking in between sobs now, countless tears streaming down her face like rainwater escaping from the heavens. Throwing her hands in the air, she sighed in frustration. "How could they do this to each other? They were in love! What happened?"  
  
"Sometimes people fall out of love," Spot replied. He wasn't quite sure what this situation called him to do. He was always bad at offering condolences. After all, he'd never had the practice. Nicollet had always been a ruffian, tough and unrelenting. Never before had he needed to be the compassionate type. She was even wiping her own tears away, leaving him with nothing to do for her.  
  
"It's so unfair!"  
  
He remained where he was, feeling for some reason a bit uncomfortable. Here was his girlfriend, who also happened to be his best friend, weeping for circumstances out of her control and all he could do was...absolutely nothing. It would've been easier with any other girl but with Nicollet, things just spun to a different beat. She spoke again, wrenching him from his thoughts.  
  
"Are you sleeping over?"  
  
"I probably shouldn't," he said slowly, so that she wouldn't think he was trying to brush her off. "I've got an essay to finish in the morning and a bed to get in before my parents realize I'm missing." He smiled at her, but she didn't return the expression.  
  
Instead, she stepped closer to him, caressed his cheek with a hand, and then drew his lips into a kiss that instantly cleared his mind of any priorities he had originally set before coming over her house. He hated that power she had over him! It drove him wild with lust and stirred an obsession he couldn't suppress no matter what he tried to do. So instead of going against it, he willingly fueled the action.  
  
Nicollet's heart skipped a beat when she felt Spot's tongue run across her lips and then enter her mouth with means to seduce her, moving expertly and arousing sensations all over her body. He began pressing farther, causing her to walk backwards until she could feel a side of her bed against her legs. Without hesitation, Spot leaned her back onto the mattress, his lips never once leaving hers, and straddled her once she was situated.  
  
He smirked down at her. "You're pretty sexy when you're all depressed like this, ya know that?" Nicollet shoved him off her, but had to laugh at the comment for its truth. She reached for the teddy bear she had earlier been holding and ran a hand down its velvety fur, the simple act sparking memories of her united family. How would she deal now that her father had left?  
  
Spot saw the unasked question in her eyes. He pulled himself into a sitting position with his back against the bed's headboard and tugged on Nicollet's hand so that she'd sit on his lap, but she rather chose to sit between his legs, resting her own back against his chest and wrapping his arms around her.  
  
"What if the same thing happens to us, Spot? What if we fall in love and then years later start hating each other? I mean, we don't think it'd happen cause we say we're different and all, but how can you be so sure? What if it does happen?"  
  
He sighed; he knew it was coming. He knew sooner or later she would start comparing her parents' relationship with theirs. "It's not going to happen." What else could he say? It's not like he could predict the future; he was merely trying to be optimistic.  
  
Surprisingly, she didn't continue with the questions after that, and whether it was because his answer comforted her or because she was simply tired, Spot didn't know. He was hoping it was a mixture of both.  
  
"Can you stay with me, just until I fall asleep? I don't want to be alone..." She turned to face him, her chocolate eyes pleading with him for his company.  
  
Spot knew at that instant that he'd do anything for the girl, especially those things that didn't have an ounce of rationality in them. It was just something in the way he felt about her, something in the way she made him feel. "Of course I'll stay." They kissed twice more before falling asleep in each other's arms.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
"I just don't understand it! Here I am peacefully asleep in my bed and my son is dallying about the neighborhood in his pajamas at all hours of the night because his best friend asked him to!?" Mrs. Conlon crossed her arms and aimed those terrifying motherly eyes at Spot in obvious frustration and disbelief.  
  
"Mom, her parents were breaking up and she needed me..."  
  
"When are her parents NOT breaking up? Those two have been at it for years now, Merryll. Do you really think that's an excuse? Do you think that means you can leave this house whenever you want without our permission?!"  
  
Spot rolled his eyes and groaned. His mother was infamous for blowing things out of proportion and yelling about discipline for hours. He focused his eyes back to his bowl of Cheerios and waited.  
  
Mr. Conlon was the next one to speak. "Who is this friend anyways?"  
  
"Nicollet Cordelli," replied his wife, the name escaping her lips in a hiss, as if it were poison. "The girl who broke one of our windows when she and Merryll were playing baseball a few summers ago." She still held a grudge from that day on; one of her favorite sculptures had shattered from the ball's impact.  
  
"Yea," affirmed Lucas, "and Merryll's going out with her now!"  
  
Spot threw a menacing look at his cousin; leave it to Lucas to open his big mouth! Clenching his fist, he mouthed an *I'm going to murder you* to the boy. He had no doubt that it was Lucas who had ratted out on him. Since the Conlons only owned one alarm clock, it was placed in Spot's room, for he was the earliest riser. Therefore, it was Spot's duty to in turn wake up Lucas across the hall, but if Spot wasn't even home he couldn't complete the task, thus causing an annoyed Lucas to wake up late, discover that his cousin was missing, and complain to the parental units.  
  
"I know you're not going out with that girl, Merryll!" Mrs. Conlon looked like a volcano about to unleash hell on all near. "See what it all leads to! What exactly were you doing over there last night? Let me tell you something, if you think you're man enough to start making your own decisions, thinking it won't in the least bit affect us, you can pack your bags and leave this house right now!"  
  
"Carol, don't you think you're over-exaggerating? Merryll's our son. We're not going to put him out just because he makes poor choices in life. We have to be here for him always."  
  
"Why are you both acting like Nikki's some juvenile delinquent on parole?" Spot exclaimed. "She's my best friend; she's been my best friend since sixth grade already! You both are acting like she's getting me into drugs or something!"  
  
"There's more than one thing she can get you into!" his mother snapped.  
  
Lucas grinned back at her appreciatively. "Auntie Carol, that was slick!"  
  
The woman ignored him, though. Her eyes were focused on Spot. "You know what? From now on, you're riding the bus to school. That car can sit in the garage from now on for all I care." Spot was about to protest but she held up a hand to silence him. "Also, we're taking the t.v. and computer out of your room, and these Friday night hangouts of yours, well you can say goodbye to those too."  
  
Spot's jaw dropped open. This was going too far. He couldn't believe he was being punished for being with Nicollet in her time of need! His mother was making it sound as if he had impregnated the girl! "You're not even listening to me!" he nearly yelled. "I only went there because she was crying and wanted some company! She hates it when her parents fight!"  
  
"And it couldn't wait until this morning, Merryll?" He sat back defeated. "And don't you dare raise your voice at me, young man! I'm your mother; you'll show me respect. The same respect you show Nicollet by going over her house pass midnight as if you're some after-hours hooligan!"  
  
Rolling his eyes, he rose to his feet and proceeded to exit the kitchen when something occurred to him. "The bus already left; I'll have to take my car for today."  
  
His mother shook her head. "Nope, that just means you'll have to walk."  
  
"But that means Lucas will have to walk to."  
  
"Your father will drive him. If you hurry, you'll only be thirty minutes late to your first class. Have a good day, honey. And don't let this happen again, hmm?"  
  
Spot glared at her back as she turned to wash the dishes and looked to his father for a way out, but the man only shrugged. Then his eyes fell to Lucas, who was sitting with arms folded onto the table and lips forming a sinister grin. Spot flicked him off when Mr. Conlon wasn't looking and then slammed the door shut on his way out the house.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Review! ^_^ 


	9. The Dating Game for Dummies

DISCLAIMER: No, newsies does not belong to me! Really, is this necessary? *Mickey Mouse nods his head* Argh! Well now, Nicollet Cordelli, her parents, Merryll's parents, Lucas Conlon, Mr. Rogers, and all the other teachers, Natasha, Amanda Riley, Matt Bradshaw...all those people belong to me. The food chains used belong to the food chain used and, yea.  
  
A.N. We are going to break 100!!! We're going to break 100!!! YAAAAAAAAAAY! C'mon, goils! We'se can do it! Send in those reviews, please? Please? PLEASE? We can break 100, we can do it!!! Yeeee HAW! There's only one more chapter after this; help a poor girl reach her goal, hmm? ^_^ Shout outs to: Meg, Deanie, kew, Ice Renegade, Spatz, unnamed, Kathryn Mason-Skyes (and when are you updating your story??), Dimples (you didn't sign in but you left your name in the review), Ember, Kate Lawrence, Isabelle Gibson, imaginelet, and Seraph! W00t w00t!  
  
~Confessions~  
  
Jack, Race, and Blink stood beside their lockers scouting the passing crowds for girls to use their newly acquired pick-up lines on. Supposedly, Blink had this new dream of his to one day author a book titled 'The Dating Game for Dummies'. He was hoping the already established 'Dummies' series would accept his idea and award him millions for the book he believed would become a best seller. Naturally, though they thought him insane, Jack and Race stuck with him nonetheless as he conducted his experiment.  
  
Blink rubbed his hands briskly before him and grinned. "Alright, this is gunna work. Ya know why?"  
  
"Why?" Race asked in an indifferent voice.  
  
"Because I said so!" He laughed hysterically; Jack and Race only exchanged slightly amused glances. "Oh look! Here comes Madelyn! Get ready guys, you're about to see a professional capture the prey." Blink licked his fingers and then combed back loose strands of hair that had fallen over his face before fixing his shirt and then casually making sure he 'accidentally' bumped into Madelyn, thus causing all the books she had been carrying to topple to the floor.  
  
He feigned an astonished and apologetic expression. "Oh, I'm so sorry, sweety!" He dropped to one knee and aided her in collecting the fallen objects. Once the last book had been picked up, the two stood to their feet and remained as so for a few awkward seconds.  
  
Madelyn gave him a small smile. "Thanks," she said softly, stepping to the side so that she might pass the boy and be on her way.  
  
Blink stopped her by resting a hand on her shoulder and looking her up and down as if she were some sculpture on exhibit at the Gallery. "Baby, are you a parking ticket? Cause you have fine written all over you!" His grin widened as he waited for her to respond.  
  
"Are you a donkey? Cause you have jackass written all over you!" She shrugged his hand off her and marched off, only once glancing back to give him a disgusted look.  
  
Jack and Race tried ever so hard to stifle their laughter but the rejection was so priceless that they were, in the end, unsuccessful. Blink glared at them as he retreated to his post and crossed his arms at the blatant failure. "Well, we'll just have to overlook that one. Maybe she's PMSing or something."  
  
"Yea, or maybe she was just too smart to fall for a scab like you," Jack offered, chuckling away some more.  
  
"Ha ha ha. But I don't see you winning over any ladies, Jack!"  
  
The other shrugged. "I don't have a girlfriend because I choose not to. I mean, really. Do either of you want to end up being some goody-goody boyfriend like Spot? And do you really want to have to put up with a girl like Nikki? Damn, I can't imagine how the hell he deals!"  
  
"Tell me about it!" said Race. "I still can't believe they're together! One day they're screaming at each other, the next they're making out between classes...well, at least that's what Spot says."  
  
Blink caught sight of another girl worthy for his experiment, but Race's last comment was far too interesting to await later questioning. "What do you mean 'at least that's what Spot says'?"  
  
"Well, he and Nikki barely touch each other in public! They don't even hold hands or anything to class! Spot says she only feels comfortable kissing him and all when they're alone." Race opened his locker to retrieve an item, but then forgot what it was he had wanted to get. Tapping his fingers against the metal, he stared at his books and tried to remember what class he had next. "If it was me in Spot's shoes, I'd put down my foot and tell Nikki a few things."  
  
Jack grinned. "Yea, and after you're done, she'll just give you a few more shiners!"  
  
Race glared at the comment. He didn't particularly like the idea that the guys still joked around about how Nicollet had socked him good that one day.  
  
Blink playfully punched his friend's arm. "Ah, you gotta remember, though, Race. This is Nikki we're talking about. That girl can get us to walk on hot coals if she wanted to. It's in her genes, I guess. She's a master at seduction." The others agreed with head nods and Blink returned to scanning the female population for a victim. "Ah, there's another one!" He sprinted off to do his thing.  
  
Jack and Race only rolled their eyes and prepared themselves to deal with yet another rejection.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Spot Conlon was just having one of those days. Ms. Stewart accepted his miserable excuse for an essay even though it didn't meet the 6-page requirement, but reprimanded him in front of the class for having adopted the attributes of a slacker this time around. Ms. Stewart loved to belittle her students as such. She never had an appreciative audience, though, as her students usually defended and pitied one another, but she did it nonetheless. Spot believed she got high from being a bitch.  
  
A vending machine got on his nerves again later that day too. For reasons out of his grasp, the Doritos clasp still hadn't been fixed, and so the chips didn't fall down to the dispenser even after Spot paid his 75 cents. Fortunately, he hadn't been angered enough to bash his head against the machine's frame. However, when his locker got jammed right before third period, it was all he could do to keep from screaming at the top of his lungs.  
  
It was bad enough his mother was making him walk to school from now on, worse still that his beloved Mustang Convertible wouldn't be able to taste the freedom of the city streets for a while. All in time, he kept telling himself. After school, he planned to corner Lucas when the brat wasn't surrounded by his friends and have a little man-to-man talk. Or more like a fist-to-face one, but that was beside the point.  
  
All in all, Spot was just in a very bad mood. Which is why he wasn't too thrilled to walk into Mr. Rogers' class to see his girlfriend laughing up some joke with Matt Bradshaw. As he came to think of it, it didn't make any sense for Nicollet to sit with Matt anymore now that she and Spot were together. He smirked. He'd just have to give her a little reminder of what she was missing.  
  
So with that in mind, he sauntered into the classroom and on his way to his seat, stopped by for the briefest moment at Nicollet's desk in which he leaned over and gave her a light peck on the lips. She flushed at the public display of affection and gently nudged him on his way. When he was gone, she turned back to Matt and lowered her eyes to her notebook.  
  
"I didn't know you two were together," Matt said softly.  
  
She frowned. She hadn't meant for him to find out like this. "Well, we just started going out actually. But hey, me and you can still be friends, right?"  
  
He managed a small smile. "Sure."  
  
Spot plopped down in his seat next to Heath Soto just as the bell to begin class rung. Mr. Rogers greeted his class and then dove right into his lesson about Imperialism. "Ya know, kids," he said, "during this time, a lot of nations thought Roosevelt was a son of a bitch. But ya know what the U.S. said in reply? He's our son of a bitch, so shove it and deal with it!" He went on with his lecture as if nothing out of the norm had occurred.  
  
The students glanced at one another and then laughed hesitantly at the would-be joke. Spot was too busy watching Heath carve "Screw You" into their desk, though. He nodded his head in approval of the words and even offered to help engrave the last letter, but was interrupted when a girl in front of him passed him a note and whispered, "from Nikki."  
  
Spot took the folded piece of paper and looked to where Nicollet was sitting. She smiled at him and then turned back in her seat to continue listening to Mr. Rogers' lesson. Spot opened the note and began reading the girl's fancy script, written in a pink gel pen that momentarily blinded him. Once his eyes had adjusted, he finished reading in about a minute and then smiled. It was simply a short letter of gratification in which Nicollet thanked him for comforting her last night.  
  
Heath leaned over in his chair and briefly scanned over a few of the sentences. "Ah, you knockin' up Nikki? Damn, Conlon. You're good. Let me be the first to congratulate you on your babe magnetism. How do you do it, man?"  
  
Spot rolled his eyes at Heath's blunt inquiry but smirked nonetheless. To be honest with himself, he didn't even know how he did it. Maybe there was still chance for the day to turn up after all.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Natasha Halls was on cloud nine. Mush had just given her a bouquet of roses simply because he had been thinking about her and wanted to buy her something special, and Sunday night, he had made reservations for them at one of the most romantic restaurants in the city! Running late for her buss, she tried to make her current lip-lock with the boy as heated as possible and then bid him farewell with a hug.  
  
Mush staggered back, drunk with love. He watched the girl hurry down to the bus loop and then turned to face his friends with a lop-sided grin. "Ya guys, I think I'm in love."  
  
Nicollet smiled back at him. "You two have only been going out for a few weeks!"  
  
"Yea, but she makes me feel like...I don't know." Lost in his daze, he leaned back against Nicollet's locker and continued to stare off into space.  
  
Jack shook his head and laughed. "Okay, well while Mush is daydreaming about the love of his life, let's think of what we're going to do this Friday."  
  
Snitch opened his mouth to make a suggestion but suddenly, a blur of a person dashed down the hallways screaming, "Help Me", papers gliding out of their backpack and random objects scattering about. The boy's shoes skidded as he came to a sudden halt. He looked behind him as he gasped for breath and then started off again, only to slam head on with Spot.  
  
"There you are, you little bastard!" Spot jumped to his feet and chased after his cousin Lucas out into the courtyard. Moments later, they rushed back into the halls, went in and out of the bathroom, encircled a trash can, and zoomed back out of view.  
  
Race raised his eyebrows at this. It wasn't the first time Spot had vowed to kill his cousin while still on school grounds, but it certainly was one of the most unruly chases he had seen up to date. "Well, that was..."  
  
Before he could finish the sentence, the two Conlons sped past the group of friends again, Lucas near tears and Spot punching wildly at the air. Jack thought to take matters into his own hands. Whistling innocent, he carelessly stuck out his foot and waited. Once again, the cousins raced down the halls, except this time, Lucas tripped over Jack's foot and landed hard onto the tiles. Spot nodded thanks to his friend and then pounced onto his younger cousin, gripping the boy's neck with means to strangle him.  
  
Lucas screamed like a girl. "Merryll! Merryll! I'll tell Aunt Carol! Don't think I won't She'll ground you for the rest of your life if she hears about this!!"  
  
"You can't tell her if you're DEAD!" Spot tightened his grip.  
  
"Okay, okay," Lucas pleaded. "Please, I'm sorry! Stop, you're hurting me! I said I was sorry! Merryll!!"  
  
The older gave him a judging look for a second longer and then rose to his feet, yanking the boy to his own and then slamming him into a locker. "If I go home today and see everything in my room is gone because my mom went on some rampage, I'm going to gouge out your eyes, rip out your heart, and chop you into little pieces. Is that understood?"  
  
Nicollet and the others grimaced at the vivid description of the punishment Spot had in mind. Maybe it was time for them to get him to stop watching all those horror movies...  
  
Lucas nodded his head vigorously. "Okay, okay. I'll tell her to go easy on you! Whatever, just let me go! Please!" Spot threw him to the ground and the boy scurried away like a frightened animal.  
  
"Alright, Spot! You finally tamed the beast!" Jack slapped hands with him and patted him on the back. "You think he's going to be a problem from now on?"  
  
"Nah, he knows when he's gone too far," Spot replied. Lucas looked back at him just as he was exiting out the hall doors. Spot brought a finger to his neck, and sliced it across the skin. Lucas shuddered and ran out.  
  
Snitch laughed. "Well now that that's taken care of, where are we going this Friday?"  
  
Spot groaned as he remembered that he currently wasn't allowed to go anywhere. Unless the crew decided to rent a movie and party at the Conlon house, they'd have to make plans that excluded him. "Why don't we...help me clean my room!" The others rolled their eyes and Spot smirked.  
  
"Oh shoot!" said Nicollet. "I just remembered. I can't hang out with ya'll, I promised Matt I'd go to the movies with him this weekend."  
  
Spot's eyes settled into a glare. "What d'ya mean you're going to the movies with him?"  
  
"Spot, it's just an innocent date...not even a date! More like two friends just hanging out."  
  
"Yea, well that's one 'date' you're not going on!"  
  
Snitch and Blink started placing bets on who they thought would conquer this round of Conlon vs. Cordelli while Race suggested to run to the vending machines to buy everyone some snacks while they viewed. The couple shot a look at their friends for their lack of maturity, yet continued fighting anyways.  
  
Nicollet looked indignant. "You can't tell me what to do!"  
  
"I sure as hell can!" Spot threw back. "And I sure as hell will! The only reason Bradshaw wants to hang with you is because he likes you, Nikki. Don't be so naïve. As far as he's concerned, it's a date! And you aren't going!"  
  
"Matt knows we're together, okay? He knows I only care about him as a friend!"  
  
Spot's temper was steadily breaking. He couldn't believe this was happening! So much for a good day! Nicollet was acting so...difficult! "Yea, well if I was in his position, I could care less whether you were taken or not. I'd try to get ya in bed as soon as I could!" The words slipped out of his mouth before he had an opportunity to think them over, and after he had heard himself yell them out, he wished more than ever that he could take them back.  
  
Nicollet stared at him in disbelief. "Is that all this means to you? A chance to get me in bed?!"  
  
"Nikki, that's not what I meant..."  
  
"Damnit, Merryll, you're just like every other bastard out there! Is that the only reason you wanted to go out with me, so that you could sleep with me one day? Does our friendship mean nothing?"  
  
Spot rolled his eyes. He admitted he had made a mistake in blurting out the comment, but Nicollet was going too far now. He hadn't meant any of that, and she knew it! She was only trying to make this into some kind of dramatic soap opera scene. "Nikki, stop bitching about it," he snapped. "If anyone here should be mad, it should be me! You can't just go out with guys like this when you're with me!"  
  
"I can do whatever I want," she replied. "You don't own me! I already told Matt I was going with him to the movies. If you're not man enough to deal with that, maybe you need to grow up."  
  
"That was harsh," Blink whispered to Snitch. The latter nodded and they continued to watch the dispute.  
  
Spot only scowled. "Fine, GO! See if I care! But on the subject of growing up, calling people pass 2 in the morning because you're too immature to deal with something yourself...well, you can figure the rest out. Later." He headed off down the halls and then disappeared around a corner.  
  
Nicollet glared at him. She couldn't believe he had brought up her parents' break up! She fumed and stormed off in the opposite direction, cursing under her breath.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Review! Only one more chapter to Go! But let's break 100! ^_^ Love ya all! 


	10. Confessions

DISCLAIMER: Only Nicollet Cordelli, her parents, the high school teachers, and the names not featured in the movie Newsies belong to me. The other characters belong to Disney. Also, the food restaurants used don't belong to me. The Crocodile Hunter doesn't belong to me either, and neither does Boy Meets World. So don't sue me, k? And we all know Lucas Conlon is mines... ^_^  
  
A.N. THANK YOU EVERYONE WHO'S REVIEWED! We're going to break 100!!! ^_^ You goils is awesome! I enjoyed writing this ficlet for ya'll and I'm really glad you devoted time to reading it. It was an honor authoring it for youse. ^_^ Shout-outs to: Kate Lawrence, unnamed, Seraph, Dimples, Meredith & Emily, kew, Megabee, Spatz, Hotshot, and imaginelet!  
  
*Confessions*  
  
~~~ Nicollet and Race were studying for a Spanish test in a local library the afternoon the girl had disputed with Spot over her date with Matt Bradshaw, or at least were suppose to be studying. Instead, Nicollet was ranting over how senseless she believed Spot had been acting earlier.  
  
"I don't even like, Matt!" she exclaimed. "I mean, just because I have a boyfriend now doesn't mean I can't hang out with my guy friends. I'm hanging out with you right now, aren't I? Does that mean I'm cheating on Spot? No!"  
  
Race hated to get in the middle of fights involving the couple but having a guy's point of view, he thought that perhaps he could enlighten the girl somewhat. "Yea, but Spot knows I don't like you in that way. And he also knows that Matt does."  
  
"Then he should trust me enough to know I won't let the date go further than a friendly basis!" She slammed her textbook shut and groaned. She didn't even know why she bothered studying. She and Race were both Italian, and so they had experience with Romance languages; she could pull off a B on the test without even trying. What concerned her now was Spot. "Race, I care about him, I really do. I'm not trying to hurt him in any way. I'm not trying to make him jealous or rub it in his face whenever a guy asks me to hang with him for a night. I don't even know why I called it a date! It's just...going to the movies!"  
  
Race thought upon that. As he listened to Nicollet explain herself and her feelings, he realized that there really wasn't anything wrong in what she was doing after all. She was only spending time with friends outside her usual social circle. Surely the mere fact that she had a boyfriend shouldn't deprive her of that!  
  
He shrugged. "Maybe Spot just gets jealous easily. He is pretty protective of you."  
  
"What should I do then?" She slouched back in her chair utterly confused. If she went with Matt as she had promised the boy, it'd only lead Spot to grow angrier and might drastically affect their relationship. If she didn't go, she and Spot would make up quicker but poor Matt would be denied.  
  
"Why don't you go with Matt, but invite Spot too?"  
  
Nicollet pursed her lips as she considered that. "I think that'd only present more problems. He'd be all over me the whole time and would keep glaring at Matt all night." She threw her hands up in frustration. "Which reminds me! I can't believe he kissed me in front of Matt this morning! He knows I hate it when he does that, but he did it anyways!"  
  
Race had to laugh, but his humor was sprung from other thoughts. He wondered whether Nicollet and Spot would ever be featured on Jerry Springer, or perhaps some other bizarre talk show in which Nicollet would scream about all that Spot does wrong while Spot would be busy hurling chairs at all the guys after his girlfriend. It would be quite the sight!  
  
"That's one thing I don't get," he said to her. "What's up with you not wanting him to kiss ya and all in public?"  
  
"I just don't want the entire school knowing about it, ya know? If we break up, then it'll be publicized and all like we're celebrities or something. It happens every time Spot breaks it off with a girl. People start talking about it in the hallways, rumors are made, all of a sudden you see a story in the school newspaper about it. And I didn't want it to be like that with us."  
  
Race nodded; it was a reasonable explanation. He remembered last year, when Spot had ended a 6 month relationship with a girl who moved to New York at the end of the second school semester, a rumor had been created claiming the girl had moved because Spot had impregnated her. It was a rather radical turn of events, considering the break-up was simply caused by the long distance separation.  
  
Nicollet looked at the time her watch entailed and frowned. It was six in the evening and the library would be closing soon. She wondered whether she should stop by Spot's house on her way home. Should she speak with him and try to understand his reasoning, or dismiss the matter as another petty argument? With a sigh, she made up her mind.  
  
She never thought relationships would be so hard to maintain.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Lucas Conlon flipped through the channels of his uncle's wide screen T.V. while he sat reclined onto a couch devouring cookies and a soda. He was making up his mind whether to watch the Crocodile Hunter or old episodes of Boy Meets World when the door bell rang and interrupted his relaxation. He mumbled under his breath and waited for someone to answer it, but Merryll didn't come down from his room and Aunt Carol was busy rambling on the phone with a friend.  
  
He waited patiently, hoping he wouldn't have to be disturbed, but the bell rang again and no one was answering it. He finally rose to his feet and marched to the house's front entrance with means to confront the guest and shoo them off on their way as soon as possible. He swung open the door, only to yell when he saw the person before him and afterwards slammed it closed. A few seconds later, when he had composed himself, he opened the door again and smiled warmly at Nicollet.  
  
"Sorry," he apologized. "I thought you were going to beat me up, but then I saw that you weren't with the others."  
  
Nicollet rolled her eyes. "It's Merryll's job to beat you up, not mines. Speaking of him, is he here?"  
  
Lucas nodded. "Yea, but so is my aunt, and seeing how she kinda grounded him from seeing you for a while, it probably wouldn't be smart for you to come inside."  
  
"Grounded from seeing me? For what?" This certainly was news! Spot hadn't said a thing about him having been grounded!  
  
"Last night when he slept over your house, well, he didn't come home until eight the next morning and of course, we were all already awake by that time. My aunt got pissed and just grounded him; she even took away his car and all."  
  
Nicollet mentally kicked herself for not having seen it earlier. Nothing ever stopped Spot from driving his car to school; it was practically his life! Yet today he had walked to school. And she noticed he seemed to be a bit snappy at lunch earlier, nearly exploding when a lunch lady had told him pizza slices were sold out. Then again, Spot was like that even on good days.  
  
"What were you guys doing all that time anyways?" Lucas asked suggestively.  
  
"He was only making sure I was all right..." She remembered how lovely it had been to wake up next to Spot this morning, feeling his arms around her and his chest heave up and down with every breath. She remembered how she had felt protected and loved, as if nothing could dampen her spirits ever. Spot was originally only suppose to stay with her until she fell asleep, but rest had gotten the best of him and he had ended up drifting off alongside her.  
  
And yet when he had woken up this morning, she remembered, and had realized his mistake, he hadn't been the least bit frustrated with her. In fact, his deep blue eyes had only mirrored empathy and care. He hadn't even complained to her about his punishment all day!  
  
She realized Lucas was waiting for her to say something. "Can I talk to him?"  
  
"Er..." the boy seemed hesitant to reply. He looked back into the house behind him as if checking for something and then faced the girl again. "My aunt's in the kitchen. If you run in and dash up the stairs like there's no tomorrow, she probably won't even notice you. But if you do get caught, I'm sticking with the story that you were holding me at gunpoint unless I agreed to let you in." He opened the door wider and grinned at her.  
  
"Thanks Lucas," she replied. "I'll be sure to put in a good word for you when I talk to Merryll."  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Nicollet reached for the support of the stair railing as she surpassed the top three steps in one leap and nearly tumbled to the floor of the second story. She emitted a light laugh when Lucas shook his head and rolled his eyes at the poor display of inconspicuousness and then gathered her bearings to enter Spot's room. His door was presently closed, a poster that read "Enter At Your Own Risk" spread across the wooden surface. She knocked twice and, when she had heard him grant entrance, slowly walked in.  
  
Spot was sitting on the edge of his bed reading yet another one of his car magazines. Nicollet's presence surprised him, for he expected her to be dallying about with Bradshaw, but he showed no signs besides those of indifference. "Hey," he said simply before going back to his perusing.  
  
Nicollet didn't exactly feel too welcomed but she supposed it was the only thing she'd receive from him for now, and so she walked farther into the room until she was standing right before him. "We need to talk, Spot."  
  
With an exaggerated sigh, he tossed the magazine aside and leaned back onto his bed, propping himself up on his elbows. Nicollet blushed in spite of herself. No matter what the circumstances, Spot always managed to adopt a certain nonchalance that made him all the more sexier. His eyes were glistening with a storm-cloud hue, his sandy-blonde hair fallen over his face.  
  
"Talk about what?"  
  
She crossed her arms. "Why didn't you tell me you had been grounded for seeing me last night?" His eyes narrowed questioningly but she continued before he could press the inquiries. "Why didn't you tell me your mom had taken away your car?"  
  
Spot momentarily scowled. He was already planning Lucas' next punishment. Who else could it have been! The younger Conlon was infamous for his big- mouth.  
  
"Spot, we have to start talking to each other more. Why wouldn't you tell me?"  
  
He looked at her then and had to struggle hard to keep himself from smirking. Her long hair was loose and for some reason he wanted so badly to comb his hands through the caramel strands. He wanted to smell her hair's sweet perfume and feel it's silkiness against his skin as he had last night when she was entangled in his arms.  
  
He remembered how his heart had swelled with pride during those late night hours they had shared together in the same bed. It felt right to have her there with him, and he felt lucky to have her in his life. And now looking at her pleading at him with her eyes to open the communication lines in their relationship, all he wanted to do was lie beside her again and relive that moment.  
  
"Spot?!"  
  
"Damnit, Nikki, I don't know! What difference does it make! It's not like my parents weren't going to ground me just because I told you about it."  
  
"I don't understand why you're so mad," she said softly. "If it makes you feel any better, I called Matt up about thirty minutes ago and told him I wouldn't be able to shoot to the movies with him this Friday."  
  
For a moment, he didn't know what to say. He searched his mind for some kind of smartass remark but only drew blanks. Then it dawned on him that he didn't want to fight with the girl anymore. He didn't want to make things difficult; they had had enough trouble getting together as it was! "Nikki...I just, I just don't..."  
  
He cursed under his breath. What was he suppose to say? He didn't have experience in the field of compassionate ardor, especially when he actually meant the words he was saying. It was easy blurting out lines of love when you cared nothing for the person you were with. It was a totally different game when you did.  
  
"I just don't want..." He felt the pressure of her waiting pierce through him, expecting him to suddenly quote some Shakespearian romance. "...us to fight anymore." He settled with that. It was merely a more general way of saying he didn't want anything to come between them.  
  
Nicollet smiled, fully understanding the underlying message behind the words. "Neither do I."  
  
"And I, uh, didn't mean to say what I said about your parents and all..."  
  
"Don't worry about it. You were right in a sense, I guess. Maybe it was kinda immature for me to call you so late."  
  
Spot grabbed her hand and yanked her forward so that she fell atop him. Wrapping his arms around her, he sat up and kissed her as if in doing so, he would insure his very existence. He pulled her closer to him and tickled her lips with his tongue, asking to be let in, a request she gladly obliged.  
  
Spot loved the taste of her mouth; it aroused feelings all over his body that chased away his sanity. She smiled into the kiss and nearly melted when Spot started to nip at her neck, licking her collar bone and then running over it again with heated kisses. She could go like this all day and never stop...never stop...  
  
Her eyes shot open as the two words resounded in her mind. Reluctantly, she pulled away from Spot and tried to tell him something, but his lips were over hers before the words were out and she thought she might not be able to break free a second time. But she managed to gently push his face away with her hands finally.  
  
"Spot, we gotta stop. Your mom's going to walk in, grab me by the hair, and throw me out the window!" She rested her head onto his shoulder and laughed with him.  
  
"Ah, forget about her," he replied. "Listen, Nikki. I don't care what time of day it is, if you need me, just call, all right? It doesn't mean you're immature. It just means you need someone to hold you. And another thing, d'ya think you could keep the dates to a minimum? I don't like the idea of my girl hanging with some bastard when she should be hanging with me." He kissed her cheek and tried to draw closer to her lips but she moved her head and laughed.  
  
"I doubt anyone would tempt me good enough to want to leave you."  
  
He smirked. "Well, not everyone's got a personality like mines and good looks to top it."  
  
"Oh, god! On second thought, lemme go give Matt another ring!" She started to rise from his lap but he grabbed her waist from behind and pulled her onto the bed beside him, rolling over so that he could pin her hands over her head.  
  
"Ha! Try to beat that!"  
  
She liked how he was persistent, how he always had to have his way. "How 'bout you just kiss me and get it over with?" She returned his devilish smirk.  
  
Spot didn't need a second invitation.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Sunday morning came around the corner. Nicollet and Company were usually divided on these days for they often separated into their own churches or family practices. Mush attended a Spanish church because it was his parents' first language while Race's family weekly visited a church that solely spoke Italian; his parents weren't bilingual. Specs and Blink both went to a Baptist church about two miles away from the school.  
  
Jack didn't go to church but instead went over his grandmother's house on Sundays. However, hearing her lecture on and on for hours at a time was church enough for him and so he considered it all the same. Snitch's choice to spend the holy day was quite an enigma. He always stopped by a Catholic church he had found not too long ago just before service and would speak with a priest to make his weekly 'confessions' of having wronged people with his theft. And yet, the next day, he was right back to performing the misdeeds all over again. The others supposed he simply needed to relieve his conscious one day a week.  
  
Fortunately, Spot and Nicollet attended the same church and today they were seated side by side as they tried ever so hard to listen to Youth Pastor Matthew talk about peer pressure during the half hour of bible study that preceded morning service. Spot's mind turned to other things. Nicollet was wearing a short summer dress that had definitely caught his attention when he had first seen her that morning. He casually let his hand fall onto her leg and then crept his fingers up to the hem of the dress.  
  
Her eyes widened at his mischief and she shoved his arm away with a grin. Spot was not easily dissuaded, though. He tried this act one again, but when Nicollet seized his fingers and twisted them in warning, he snatched his hand back and groaned.  
  
"No fun you are," he whispered into her ear.  
  
She nodded her head at something Pastor Matthew's had said in effort to make it look as if she were paying attention. "Why don't you use your techniques on the girls Blink's recruiting for that book of his?" she whispered back.  
  
"I think I came up with an idea for my own book," he said as he relaxed in the pew. "Nicollet Cordelli: The Journey of Not Understanding Women, But Loving Them Nonetheless."  
  
She rolled her eyes with a laugh. "Oh stop trying to suck up. You're not getting any."  
  
"What! Baby, even if we never get married, you are mine!"  
  
"Spot!" She looked all about them to make sure no one had heard the saucy comment. She could hardly believe he had said it herself! "We're in church! Does that mean nothing to you?"  
  
He draped an arm over her shoulders and brought his lips closer to her ear. His cool breath sent tingles throughout her body. "Yea, it means something. It means God created Adam, and then created Eve, and then what followed was edited out the bible cause they knew kids would be reading."  
  
She playfully smacked his arm but had to laugh at the joke. As she scooted closer to him, he leaned over to give her a quick peck on the cheek, and then resumed paying attention to their youth pastor.  
  
Nicollet realized a number of things that day. One, no matter how many times she and Spot argued, and no matter how serious the issues intertwined with the debate were, the two would always remain best friends. Two, their relationship would never resemble that of her parents so long as they worked hard at it and never ran away at the first sign of trouble. And three, she was falling harder for him than she would have liked to admit. She loved everything about him, even that pestering little ego that graced his personality. She couldn't imagine herself without him by her side. She wasn't all that sure but she believed she was...in love.  
  
She knew teenagers misused the word nowadays, had made the four- letter emotion into something it wasn't. Had made it into an every day occasion when it was rather something special, something rare. But rarer was it that two temperamental people like herself and Spot had managed to work out a relationship. Rarer was it that no obstacle could ever keep them from watching out and caring for one another. It was love, and that fact scared her.  
  
But as she looked at Spot that day, she knew in her heart that he felt the same way. It wasn't just evident in his words, for things said could hold promises never kept. She knew because she saw it in his actions, in the way he treated her, in the way he was always there.  
  
And for the first time, Nicollet Cordelli knew everything was going to be all right.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Alright, well this is when you leave your final review. ^_^ But I have a question. Would anyone be interested in reading a sequel to this story? Maybe some of you are like 'No, it's cute ending like this!' But maybe there's some of you out there who want to read more, and if I get enough people saying they want a sequel, I'll be convinced to write one up. Mind you, it might not come up until Mid-July, but if ya'll leave me your email addresses, I'll contact ya when I upload the first chapter. ^_^ But that's only if you really really really really want a sequel. I think it might follow Nicollet & Spot as college freshman living together and trying to deal. Muahaha. Alright, Thanks so much for everything! Adieu~ Love ya! 


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